


Deity

by SoulOfSalt



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Social Situations, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Karasuno Athletics Club, Manga & Anime, Non-Canon Relationship, OC is bisexual, Original Character(s), Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Third Person, Season/Series 01, Slow Burn, Underage Drinking, characters to be added as they arrive
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26292313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOfSalt/pseuds/SoulOfSalt
Summary: “So you’re Karasuno’s new manager.”Ash was busy looking at the vending machine, this time even emptier than before, when his voice reached her ears. She turned her head to her right, where he was standing, a small smirk gracing his annoyingly handsome face.Oikawa Tooru.She looked back once more to the now almost familiar vending machine before answering.“No.”Her response was dry and her tone slightly rude taking into account she was talking to someone older than her, but she didn’t really like him. He was too much of a narcissist, even if he was a cute one.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Haikyuu!! Ensemble & Original Female Character(s), Kuroo Tetsurou & Original Character(s), Oikawa Tooru/Original Character(s), Oikawa Tooru/Original Female Character(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 55





	1. Imagination / To New Teammates and Brand-New Starts.

_Through the window of my heart_ _  
I can see a brand-new start  
Will you tell me what awaits us in the summer this year, Mr. Future?  
\- "Imagination", SPYAIR _ _(cover by AmaLee)._

* * *

Blue sky spread overhead like a soft blanket delicately cradling the sphere of golden rays. That morning in Tagajō seemed peaceful, or at least that’s what Ash thought as she looked out of the open window of her classroom. 

She’d been distracted most of the class. She couldn’t stop wondering about what Takeda could possibly want to tell her, he wasn’t even her teacher (thank God, because otherwise she would have been worried about failing the exam she had taken a couple of days ago, she wasn’t too good at Literature). Maybe he wanted to talk to her as the teacher counselor, she wasn’t sure why though.

She looked at her watch: 11:20, just 5 more minutes and the morning recess would come.

A glance at the blackboard allowed her to see how much she had missed of today’s explanation since she had stopped paying attention. Grabbing her pen, she quickly started writing everything down, making a mental note to go over all of it once at home.

The bell rang, indicating the end of fourth period, and she shoved everything inside her bag, not wanting to wait any longer. She walked quickly through the corridors, smiling at a couple of her classmates who waved at her.

Once at the door of Takeda’s office, she knocked and waited for the teacher to allow her to enter. She used this couple of seconds to roll down the sleeves of her shirt trying to look more professional. It was getting hotter; she would soon have to swap the long-sleeved shirt for a short-sleeved one. 

The door opened, revealing a messy head of hair. Takeda Ittetsu looked up from the single sheet of paper he was holding, adjusting his crooked glasses. The teacher was shorter than her, and together with his youthful face he could easily be mistaken for a student.

“Come in, Ms. Rocha.” He smiled at her and stepped aside, leading her to his tiny desk overflowing with different sheets of paper. She sat on the chair opposite to him as he put some of them –probably tests– inside a folder. “I wanted to talk to you about something. I know that you’re the captain of the athletics club, and you’re probably busy enough with that alone,” he took his glasses off to clean them, “but I was hoping you could do me a favor.” _Just tell me damn it._ “Would you mind helping the volleyball team with their training?”

“But,” she frowned in confusion “don’t they already have a coach?” _It is pretty difficult to miss a guy as cute as him._ “Also, I know next to nothing about volleyball.”

“Well, they do have one,” he scratched the back of his neck smiling nervously “but he wanted to help them become faster. As their advisor I decided it could be a good idea if they learned a bit of athletics. So, as you see, you don’t really need to know much about volleyball.”

She pondered on what to say to his offer. She was already busy enough with high school (trying to do more than just pass her exams), as well as managing the athletics club and rehearsing with her band. Training the volleyball team would surely take away part (if not all) of her free time. 

“You don’t have to accept, it’s just a suggestion.” Takeda quickly said. He understood how occupied students were. After all, he was the school counselor and most of the time had to help kids who were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

On the other hand, Ash thought, lending them a hand could help the athletics club grow. The word would spread around the school and more people would join it. It had been really hard for her to fund the club, she even had to talk to the principal and follow the members of the student council around to the point it was almost considered harassment. 

“But, if you were to accept, your marks could benefit from this.”

 _Why hadn’t he said so earlier?_ The decision seemed much easier now!

“I think it could be interesting.” She finally said after some seconds of silence. She didn’t want to seem to be only worried about her marks, but, in the end, that’s what most students (herself included) actually cared about. “Let me take a look at how good they are, and I’ll let you know my final decision.”

“Perfect!” Takeda’s brown eyes lit up with happiness. “Can you come to this evening’s training?”

After setting a time to meet with the volleyball team she left Takeda’s office. His thankful words reached her ears as she walked down the corridor, making her smile. 

She liked him, he was kind and was able to connect with his students in a way no other teacher could. _Maybe because their brains subconsciously see him as one of their own?_ She laughed at her own train of thought and took her phone out of her pocket.

She sent a text to her parents telling them she would be home later than usual. Her dad answered almost instantly, a smiling emoji next to a thumbs up. She checked the time on her phone; she had 15 minutes to eat her lunch before the next period started.

* * *

She waved goodbye at the boy leaving the field track. His name was Hirai Yuuto and he was one of her best athletes. Hirai was quite shy around her, but she always tried to make him feel comfortable. The boy approached another one standing at the exit of the field. He greeted Hirai with a small peck on the cheek and intertwined their fingers. The action brought a smile to her face, they were so cute!

Ash picked up both of her sports and class bags and walked towards the gym where the volleyball practice took place.

A strawberry blond lock of hair fell into her eyes, and she shifted her grip on the sports bag, resting the strap on the crook of her elbow as she redid her ponytail.

The squeaking of trainers against the wooden floors of the gym reached her ears even before she entered the building. Takeda was waiting for her at the door, as he had said he would be. 

“Good afternoon Ms. Rocha.” he greeted her with a big smile.

_How could he be so happy all the time?_

“I’ve already talked to Ukai about you, but the team doesn’t know anything yet. Only the captain does. His name is Sawamura Daichi, he’s quite tall and has short, brown hair...”

“Oh, _that_ Daichi? I’ve seen him around, yeah.”

He stepped aside, letting her walk inside the gym, the movement reminded her of their talk at his office.

“You know how teenage boys are, had I told them a girl was going to come watch them train they’d probably get distracted. They wouldn’t stop asking questions about it!”

They walked towards the bench the volleyball coach was sitting on. He was shouting orders at the boys; she couldn’t understand half the things he was saying, even though most of them were in English!

The coach’s eyes narrowed once they settled on the pair walking towards him. Ukai Keishin huffed at the sight of the young teacher approaching him. 

Takeda was smiling and happily babbling with the girl at his side. She was a bit taller than the teacher and her tanned skin contrasted with most of the students’. She was clearly Caucasian, the shape of her grey eyes making it obvious. She moved with certainty and long strides, a habit she had probably developed from her Athletics practices.

She was wearing some long sport thighs, a jacket that almost matched the one the volleyball captain wore and a dark grey sports bra. Even though she hadn’t even had time to emit a single sound, she had already attracted the attention of a certain pair of the team.

Keishin stood up as he blew the whistle hanging around his neck and motioned for the team to come towards him. The girl was obviously the ‘help’ Takeda had told him he would get, so the sooner she introduced herself to the boys the sooner he’d get out of there to have the smoke he had been craving for the last hour.

When both the girl and Takeda reached him, the whole team had already gathered around their coach. From the look on her eyes, she clearly understood what Keishin wanted her to do without him telling her. Or maybe she was as determined as him to finish quickly and go home, he could see that she had finished training not so long ago from her clothes and her somewhat still flushed face.

“Hi!” She set her bags with confidence on the bench Keishin had been sitting on, as if this wasn’t her first time at a volleyball practice. “My name is Rocha Ashley, but please call me Ash.” The American accent was still noticeable even if she spoke Japanese fluently, making her name the words she was the most comfortable with. 

“Mr. Takeda has told me that Coach Ukai wanted to focus on your velocity and stamina, and needed my help. Now, if it’s okay, I'd like to see how good you are in terms of speed.” She looked at Ukai for affirmation. He blinked, surprised; she had started talking to the team as if she was the one in charge of them all, but by looking at him she was showing she knew who the leader truly was.

“Erm… Yeah, sure.” 

She bowed her head smiling and asked the team to wait at one of the sides of the gym. She then asked him if he knew its length and to see the information sheets of the team members to get an idea of what she would be working with. 

“I can’t help you with that, sorry. I don’t know how long the whole gym is, but I do know that the length of the volley court is around 18.3 meters. As for the sheets…” He scratched the back of his head. He had never actually bothered to read them, simply taking them home one day and giving them back to Takeda on the next. “I believe Takeda has them.”

She thanked him and turned around. A sigh left her lips as she walked towards the young teacher, who was busy talking to the team. It seemed as if the day would never end. It hadn’t been bad at all, just way too long and she was tired. Just thinking about having to make her way back home all alone made her shoulders slightly slump. Her best friend, Abo Itsuki, had already left, he had told her he didn’t mind waiting for her, but Ash, being the wonderful friend she was, told him that there was no need to.

On the bright side, going back home alone meant that she could ride her bike faster. Usually, when she came back from school with Itsuki she either had to walk or carry him. He said his ankles were weak. 

Ha! Weak her ass! 

He was just a lazy bum who took advantage of her generosity and her inability to say no to those big green eyes of his. All in all, Itsuki was a great friend and also the first kid who had talked to her when she arrived in Japan almost four years ago about something other than America. 

“Mr. Takeda, would you mind letting me take a look at the Volleyball team member sheets?”

He answered that he had to get them from his office and that he would be right back, almost running out of the gym. 

She watched as the stressed teacher left her field of view, and then turned towards the wall some of the volleyball players were leaning on. Ignoring the confused looks she got as she started taking long steps towards the opposite wall, counting them under her breath.

Almost 27 strides, that was around 70 feet… She still measured things in feet, having to try harder to measure in meters (everyone in Japan used the International System after all). 70 feet… Not enough for her to measure their speed correctly, but it would have to do, because there was no way she was taking the whole team to the running tracks. Why was the universe so keen on making her leave as late as possible?

Maybe if they ran diagonally… Did she really prefer having to use the Pythagorean theorem over them going to the tracks? She liked Maths, but she wasn’t really in the mood for them right now.

Just as she was walking towards her bag to look for her chronometer and notebook, Takeda entered the gym huffing, red on the cheeks and handed her a folder with ‘Male Volleyball Club’ written on its cover. He sat on the bench besides the coach and started fanning himself with his hand as she thanked him.

“So… I’m gonna have to take them to the running tracks. The gym isn’t big enough.” She informed Ukai, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

“That’s fine by me. Do what you gotta do.”

Ash turned around with a nod and looked at the other teens in the gym. 

“Okay everyone! Since the gym is not big enough, we’re gonna have to go to the running tracks.” With that she turned around and walked out of the gym, the volleyball team in tow.

As they made their way to the running tracks, Daichi approached her.

“Thank you so much for making time to help us, Rocha.”

“It’s nothing Sawamura.”

She smiled at him, to which he responded with a smile of his own, before walking towards one of his teammates, a boy with silver hair and a beauty mark underneath his left eye.

Ash and Daichi had already met before, on the first day her band had rehearsed at the gym. She had been surprised at the time by how easy it had been to convince the vice-principal to let them use the building (probably thanks to Itsuki, the teachers loved him for some reason).

Once at the tracks, Ash moved towards the boys, chronometer hanging around her neck, the folder in one hand and the notebook in the other.

“I'm gonna be calling you by your name and I want you to run from this mark-” she stood beside the starting line “-to that one.” She pointed to another line, 100 meters further.

She opened her notebook, writing on the top of a new page “Volleyball Team”, followed by the name of the captain below.

“We’ll start with Sawamura Daichi.” 

* * *

When the last of the boys finished running, she looked at the list in her notebook:

  * **Sawamura Daich** i **-** 25,2 s
  * **Sugawara Kōshi -** 37,8 s
  * **Nishinoya Yū -** 15 s
  * **Tanaka Ryūnosuke -** 25 s
  * **Ennoshita Chikara -** 37,5 s
  * **Kinoshita Hisashi -** 19 s
  * **Narita Kazuhito -** 25,3 s
  * **Kageyama Tobio -** 18,75 s
  * **Hinata Shōyō -** 14,5 s
  * **Tsukishima Kei -** 25 s
  * **Yamaguchi Tadashi -** 25,15 s
  * **Azumane Asahi -** 38,15 s



  
Most of them were average, some of them even good, but what was up with Nishinoya and Hinata? What were they doing in a volleyball team?

They were fast enough to be in the athletics team, with a bit of training they would surely surpass her. She had to convince them somehow to join her club.

When she had seen Nishinoya run, she was impressed, but when Hinata’s turn came... She simply couldn’t believe it. What was his family feeding him?

“So, what do you think?” Takeda’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Will you train them?”

She didn’t hesitate. The team was full of raw potential, and she couldn’t wait to start. She had no idea this was about to become one of the most important chapters in the book of her life. Ash turned towards the hopeful teacher, her eyes gleaming with excitement. 

Her hair blew in the wind and the glare of the sun blinded her for a second. The shouts of the volleyball team comparing their scores created an ambience charged with enthusiasm, and the smell of change was in the air.

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maaaaan, it's been so long since I last started a new fanfiction and the last one ended up being kinda abandoned. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
> 
> I know Oikawa’s not in this chapter yet, and don’t get your hopes up. When I say slow-burn, I MEAN it. In this author’s note I’ll start a countdown for when Oikawa finally shows up. He WILL show up eventually, don’t worry. In the meantime, enjoy the fanfiction!
> 
> WHEN WILL OIKAWA SHOW UP? -> 3 chapters left.
> 
> P.S.: thank you to my dear friend and bae, you know who you are. This wouldn’t have happened without you <3


	2. Ghostbusters / Something Strange in the Neighbourhood, But Even Stranger in the Hallway

_If you're seeing things  
_ _Running through your head  
_ _Who can you call?  
_ _\- “Ghostbuster”, Ray Parker Jr._

* * *

“Let's try that again. And one, two, one, two, three, four -” 

It was Saturday and Ash and her band were rehearsing in the gym. They all were pretty busy most of the time, so it was almost a miracle they had been able to meet.

She was so excited she had decided to dress up, wearing one of her favorite button-up shirts and a skirt instead of her usual jeans and t-shirt. The shirt was mustard yellow and she wore it almost unbuttoned, revealing a lace bralette underneath, while the skirt ended mid-thigh; both items were **completely** against the dress code. 

But who was going to lecture her, her band? They had probably seen her in far more revealing clothing. 

“ _Power to the people  
_ _We don't want it  
_ _We want pleasure_ ”

Her eyes were closed as in ecstasy while her hand travelled up her bare neck towards her head. There, she grabbed her hair, slightly tilting her head back.

“ _And the TVs try to rape us  
_ _And I guess that they're succeeding.  
_ _And we're going to these meetings  
_ _But we're not doing any meeting  
_ _And we're trying to be faithful, but we're  
_ _Cheating, cheating, cheating…_ ”

A small pause, letting the note ring and fade away. Her bandmates stopped playing, at the ready for the moment she’d start singing once more. 

“ _Hey, open wide, here comes  
_ _Original sin-_ Hey, why did you stop playing?” 

She opened her eyes as she realized her band had never even started playing again. Ash turned around to look at them, confused. 

“We have an audience.” Akari, the drummer, said nonchalantly as she pointed to something behind Ash with her head.

Ash turned around again, back at her original position. There stood Kageyama and Hinata, both red in the face.

“Oh, hey guys!” She waved and motioned for them to come closer. Ash looked back at her band and pointed at the pair. “These are Kageyama and Hinata. They are part of the volleyball team.” 

“Wow, you guys sound amazing!” Hinata exclaimed. 

“Thanks.” She smiled and gestured towards the people behind her. “This is my band, Foggy Thoughts. Now, Foggy Thoughts, introduce yourselves.”

“Hi, I’m Abo Itsuki.” Her best friend introduced himself, flashing a smile from in front of the keyboard, where he was sitting. They couldn’t bring a real piano to the gym, so Itsuki had to play with a portable one he owned. 

“Doi Akari.” She had her resting bitch face on as she twirled one of her drumsticks between her fingers. Her dyed hair, dark makeup and even darker personality together with her usual cold and uninterested demeanor, had made everyone believe she was a bad influence. But once you got to know her, you could see she was one of funniest and most caring people you’d ever meet.

“I’m Hamano Haruto.” He smiled at the pair as he pushed his dark hair from his eyes with his fingers, his other hand resting on the body of his guitar. He was the resident celebrity of the group, not enough for him to be known all around the school, but enough for him to have a couple of girls follow him around.

“And I’m Kamei Kanna, it’s nice to meet you!” She grinned openly and bowed slightly, her bass guitar swaying with the movement. Her sweet looks and demeanor clashed with those of her bandmates, as well as with her instrument of choice. You’d never guess she was in a band, least of all she was actually their lead bassist. 

“So, what are you doing here?” The gym was supposed to be free for the whole morning.

“Ukai said we have to ‘practice, practice, practice’-” Hinata’s voice lowered, imitating their coach’s usual gruff tone “-before our practice match with Nekoma. He seems actually excited about it. You’re coming, right?”

Takeda had told Ash about the practice match and how they were going to have some extra practices on the following days, as well as invited her to join them. She had accepted, actually looking forward to spending some days with the team.

Ash had really been enjoying these last two weeks with them, especially spending time with Tanaka and Nishinoya. They were really funny and she couldn’t understand how they weren’t more popular. 

“Yeah, of course.” She answered and waited for one of the two boys to say something before changing the subject to what was bothering her. “So, do you need us to leave?” 

“There’s still some time left, we just... Erm... Decided to be responsible and come earlier.” She looked at Hinata in disbelief, not convinced by what he was saying. “Ok... We may or may not have raced each other all the way here. “

Ash chuckled, that was more like it. 

She then looked at Kageyama, noticing he was being even quieter than usual. He also didn’t seem to be able to look at her. 

“Hey Kags, you okay?” 

He looked at her and his eyes travelled to her chest for a fraction of a second before quickly looking away, the blush coming back full force.

“Y-yes.”

Ash snickered, realizing what his problem was. She buttoned her shirt up, leaving just the two at the top open. 

“Sorry about that.”

“That’s not the only problem.” Hinata looked at Kageyama with a shit-eating grin. “Kageyama here seems to really like how you dance.”

“Oi!” Kageyama pushed down on the back of the shorter boy’s neck cutting his laughter short. Ash wondered if his face could get any redder. 

“So, how much time do we have left until the rest of the team comes?” That brought the pair’s attention back to her. 

Hinata told her they weren’t supposed to start until in about half an hour, plenty of time for the band to play some more songs.

Hinata and Kageyama started setting everything up for the volleyball practice while Ash and her band continued rehearsing. 

Foggy Thoughts had just finished playing a song when Ukai entered the gym. The band swiftly collected their things and left after a quick word between the coach and Ash about the oncoming practices. 

“See you at the training camp, Ash!” She heard Hinata call out to her as the rest of her band left the gym. She turned around and waved him goodbye, looking forward to next week.

* * *

“Wow! So this is the training camp!”

The Karasuno volleyball team stood in front of a wooden building that for some reason reminded Ash of a hostel. She couldn’t see anything remarkable about it, other than it was built on two levels and made of wooden planks.

They stepped into the building. Daichi reached to their left and turned the lights on, revealing a spacious inside. The team quietly talked amongst themselves, when suddenly an orange blur sped past them shrieking at the top of its lungs like a fucking police siren or something.

The next five to ten minutes consisted in Hinata frantically running all over the place, marveling at everything it had to offer. Even the male restrooms.

“You have to chill out.” Kageyama told Hinata almost sternly, but it didn’t seem to faze the small ball of sunshine.

All Ash could think of at that was that Hinata was too pure for the world.

“What’s so great about having a bunch of guys that smell like armpit in your face all day long?” Tsukishima commented snidely, rising his chin slightly in disgust.

“Tsukishima, you piece of shit!” Tanaka shouted at him as Ash hit the back of the head of the rude blond while reprimanding him.

“Hey, don’t be an ass!”

“All air within a 500 meter radius of Kiyoko does not smell like armpit!” Nishinoya told him indignantly. It seemed like the two boys were about to combust in fury.

Ash had met the team manager the second time she had gone to a volleyball practice. Kiyoko Shimizu was a beautiful girl, a fact that almost everyone at school knew. Ash herself found her extremely attractive and had blushed when Kiyoko had given her a small smile after introducing herself. 

That didn’t go unnoticed by the manager’s number one fans. They had teasingly (but not so teasingly) threatened her not to ever flirt with their goddess. 

“Can you not tell that the air in here is as fresh and clear as the Ou Mountain spring?” Tanaka’s mood did a full 180 as he talked with a look of pure devotion on his face “I pity you.”

“Shimizu lives nearby, so she goes home when the day’s done.” Sugawara said with his usual soft smile. He then turned around and left the two boys as they **literally** collapsed to the ground, as if their soul had left their bodies.

He did his damage and just left, happily strutting off like a sweet little penguin. There was no way he hadn’t said that on purpose.

Tanaka and Nishinoya, being the dramatic little shits they were, dragged themselves to the dining area, clawing on the ground, surprising a worried Takeda when he opened the door.

“Wh-What are you guys doing?”

“Take, it’s hopeless.” Tanaka lifted his head off the ground, tears running down his cheeks. “We’re done for.”

Ash couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene, fully cracking up when Kiyoko appeared from behind the teacher. Their faces suddenly lit up, the tears of sadness turning into tears of joy.

Dinner went smoothly, the only thing worth mentioning was when Kageyama, who was sitting next to Ash had asked why she hadn’t helped make dinner with Takeda and Kiyoko.

“Oh, you’re saying that because I’m a girl I should be the one that has to make dinner.” She said, putting her chopsticks down and pretending to be offended. “That my place is in the kitchen, is that what you’re saying?”

“Wh-what? No! That’s not what I meant!”

Ash laughed at his scared expression.

“I’m just kidding.” She chuckled, going back to eating once more. “I suck ass at cooking. I can’t count how many times I’ve almost set my kitchen on fire.”

After having dinner and while the Karasuno students helped clean the kitchen, Takeda told them they could go have a bath before going to sleep. 

Ash grabbed her bags from where they were next to the door. She hadn’t had time to take them to the bedroom with the whole show Tanaka and Noya had offered them earlier. She saw Asahi grabbing his own bags and decided to wait for him. Ash was sure he knew where they were supposed to be sleeping for the next few days.

Just as they were about to step out of the dining room, Takeda called out to her.

“Ash, your room is over there.” 

The young teacher pointed in the opposite direction to the one the rest of the team was walking towards. She turned around as Asahi’s eyes darted back and forth between them, his bag awkwardly resting on his shoulder.

“What do you mean my room?”

The teacher looked at both of them, sheepishly.

“Um, I thought you’d be more comfortable with a whole room to yourself, you don’t need to share one with the rest of the team.”

“Sorry, but I’d rather not do that.” The thought of sleeping all alone in an unknown place unsettled her. “ I’m not about to sleep all alone, by myself, while the rest of them share a room.” 

“Yeah? Well, that’s how it’s gonna be.” This time it was Ukai who talked to her, nonchalantly crossing his arms. “You are a girl and they are boys.”

“Oh my God! Really? Most of them barely have the guts to talk to a girl. Do you think they’re gonna turn into some sex-driven machines and try to fu-” Ash remembered that, while she could probably curse in front of Ukai, Takeda was still a teacher. She sighed, trying to calm down. 

“Look, there’s no way I’m sleeping alone. So,” She pointed with her thumb towards the room the rest of the team was already in. “I’m just gonna sleep there.”

They both stayed silent, but the look in their eyes spoke volumes.

“If they try anything funny I’m pretty sure I can beat their asses.” 

“A-and also, even if I’m sure you can handle them yourself -” Asahi suddenly blurted “- I wouldn’t let anything happen.”

Ash had almost forgotten he was still there, and by the look on Takeda and Ukai’s faces, they had too.

“Honestly, it also hurts me a bit that you’d think that of the team, coach.”

Oof. Critical hit. Ukai’s stoic expression wavered slightly as Asahi looked away, rubbing his neck. They had been working very hard on gaining each other’s trust? Building team spirit? Bonding/team-building exercises.

He almost regretted implying anything about the team, but if anything were to indeed happen, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Takeda and himself shared a look. The junior teacher gestured with his head towards where Ash and Asahi were standing, to which the coach responded with a deep sigh.

Ukai was always the first one to say that, as a team, they had to trust each other. ‘Trust is the glue that keeps teammates together’ was one of his favourite phrases from his vast repertoire of vague inspirational quotes he sometimes threw at the team to try and stop their bickering.

“Okay… We’ll trust you.”

Tension was still in the air. Both of the students bowed slightly and started walking once more towards the shared bedroom. Ash was glad she wouldn’t have to argue with them.

“Hey. I’m looking at you, Azumane Asahi.”

Asahi looked back at him and nodded, a serious look on his face. Could they be any more dramatic?

“Okay, you drama queens, see you tomorrow bright and early."

* * *

Ash had just gotten out of the bathroom. She felt relaxed, the bad vibes from her almost argument with Takeda and Ukai had seemingly been washed away. 

She was readjusting the towel her hair was in when she had almost bumped into Tanaka. Ash was so focused on her task that she hadn’t seen him, and had only been able to avoid colliding thanks to his quick reflexes.

Tanaka looked ready to murder someone, but after seeing who it was, he quickly collected himself and respectfully averted his eyes, coughing into his hand.

The image of a recent popular cursed meme flashed in front of her eyes for a moment, but she managed to hide her sudden need to laugh by clearing her throat. 

_I am looking respectfully. I am looking away._

Ash was in just a towel, her dirty clothes hanging form one arm while she clutched the front of the fabric with the other one. She was in this state of dress because she was a dumbass and didn’t want to change in a damp, wet room. Knowing herself, she would manage to get all her clothes wet no matter how carefully she laid them down. She’d rather get dressed in a regular, non-soaked bathroom.

The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

_Thick like… Very thick butter._

_That was awful. I’m not very good at analogies_.

She wasn’t good at Literature for a reason. And she was equally as bad at dealing with awkward conversations.

“Nice night we’re having, eh?” Tanaka said, his eyes still locked on the ceiling. 

“I guess? Erm… you can see the moon tonight, that is kinda nice.” 

“Yeah, the moon is something I like about the night.”

That was literally something no human being would ever say. Maybe aliens were real after all. And one just happened to be the wing spiker for a Japanese volleyball team.

“Are you having a stroke?”

“Uuhhh…”

She could almost hear the erratic sparking of his lone brain cell struggling to come up with a coherent thought, its sound echoing through his empty head.

“Seriously, are you okay? Is it because I haven’t put on my pajamas yet? I can just change in a moment.”

Tanaka silently nodded, still averting his gaze, and Ash quickly slipped into a nearby empty bathroom, changing into an oversized T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

“Better?”

Tanaka nodded again, finally looking her way. It seemed like he had forgotten how to speak. They resumed their walking in a slightly less awkward silence.

As they neared the lounge area, where they had decided to spend some time before going to sleep, Tanaka spotted Hinata. The boy was staring at something with his back to them. The only light in the hallway came from the vending machine he was standing next to, giving the corridor an overall eerie vibe.

“What’s up, Hinata?”

He still wouldn’t turn around to face them, his next words coming out small and meek, if not somewhat scared.

“Some… Someone I’ve never seen before is here.”

“That’s impossible. We’re the only ones here.” Tanaka quickly replied after letting out a nervous chuckle.

“It looked like… a child.” Hinata continued as he turned around, his face full of worry. 

A shiver ran down her spine and Ash felt her stomach clench.

“Wh-What do you mean?” She asked, her voice trembling slightly. 

“Y-you’re seeing things. You probably saw yourself in a mirror or something...” the boy next to her said. Tanaka wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince, Hinata or himself.

“You’re probably right. I’m seeing things, right?” Hinata himself didn’t seem to believe the words coming out of his mouth. 

“Uh-huh. You’re seeing things. Just seeing things.”

Suddenly, a loud sound resonated through the empty hallway...

It came from right behind them.

They quickly turned around, Ash clinging to Tanaka, feeling him do the same to her.

“A GHOST!” The trio screamed, but stopped as quickly as they had started, letting out instead a sound of confusion.

“What’s all the noise? You’ll make Daichi flip out!”

In front of them stood Noya, who had clearly just come from taking a shower. He had a towel around his shoulders and his hair was down, something Ash had never seen before. She let out a sigh of relief, her heart starting to slow down.

“What? It’s only Noya!” Tanaka exclaimed somewhat angrily and proceeded to hit the younger boy on the back of his head.

“What? It’s Noya?” Hinata seemed so confused, couldn’t he recognize his own teammate? “B-but… he shrank!” 

At that, Tanaka started laughing while pointing at his best friend. Ash couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle that she tried to cover with a cough.

“He’s right! You’re only as tall as your hair!

“Ryū, you rat!” the shorter boy exclaimed angrily. “Stop laughing!”

Ash tried to calm him down. 

“Hey, don’t listen to him. I think you look gre-” she was interrupted by the ominous figure that appeared behind Noya. It rested its hand on his shoulder before speaking, its voice deep.

“Keep it down. You’ll make Daichi mad-”

Nishinoya scrambled away from it and joined the trio in their screaming as they huddled together. The figure had long dark hair that covered its face. From what she could make out, Ash assumed it was a male, but she really didn’t want to assume its gender, offend it and end up dead. 

It/They was/were tall and had extremely broad shoulders, Ash was sure they were also strong. She was fast, she could probably outrun them if they decided to strike. She wouldn’t wait for the other three boys.

_Hinata, Noya, Tanaka; gone but not forgotten. I’ll miss you guys._

“Hey! It’s me, Asahi!” the figure exclaimed, trying to stop their screaming. He could hear someone coming and he really hoped it wasn’t Daichi.

Luck wasn’t on his side.

“Shut up, you guys!” Karasuno’s captain shouted at the four of them as he hit each of them on the head. Ash was lucky enough to be the one farthest from him and managed to dodge Daichi’s relentless fist at the last second. “Now, go to bed!”

They quickly ran upstairs and into the shared bedroom, and in less than a minute they were inside their cots with their eyes closed, trembling in fear of Daichi. Ash risked opening one eye after around ten minutes had passed, and when she saw they were no longer in danger she relaxed, letting out a breath.

She looked to her right to see who was lying next to her. She had been so busy earlier (the almost-fight with Takeda and Ukai, taking a shower and losing some years of her life) that she hadn’t been able to check who was going to be sleeping beside her. 

To her delight, Noya laid next to her, his eyes still clenched shut and gripping his bed sheets. Ash poked his cheek, causing him to jolt and look at her with wide eyes.

“Hey, it’s cool. The danger has passed.” She whispered while pointing towards the only source of light in the room: Sugawara’s phone, which he was using to illuminate the notebook he was writing in. Next to him lay Daichi, his body facing the other boy’s. She could discern his closed eyes in the barely lit room.

Noya let out a sigh and she giggled softly, careful not to be heard. 

“Can I ask you something weird?” Ash asked. The boy shrugged, prompting her to continue talking. “Can I touch your hair? It just looks so soft.” 

An unreadable silence followed her words. After a few seconds Noya blinked.

“Yeah, sure.” he quietly answered.

Ash reached out towards him and gently grabbed a lock of dark hair before moving to a bleached one. The hair was still damp, but it was as soft as she had thought it’d be.

“Wow! It is! Even the part that’s bleached!” She exclaimed before excitedly asking him “How do you do it? Mine is no way as soft as yours and it’s 100% natural.” She offered him a strand of her hair for him to touch, which he did without giving it much thought.

“Do you use conditioner?”

After discussing her hair-washing routine they ended up concluding the problem was her shampoo and Noya offered to let her use his during training camp, to see if her hair improved. He was in the middle of a passionate explanation of the brand of his shampoo when someone spoke loud enough for the whole room to hear.

“ _Noya_ _~_ , stop flirting with your girlfriend for one second and let us sleep.” 

It was Tsukishima. Ash could practically hear the shit eating grin in the tone of his voice and was about to protest when Noya interrupted her.

“Shut up, four-eyes, she’s not my girlfriend, I’m gonna marry Kiyoko!”

At the mention of the team manager Ash could discern a figure promptly sitting up, she was pretty sure it was Tanaka and her suspicions were confirmed when he spoke.

“No, **_I’m_** gonna marry Kiyoko! And we’ll have three beautiful kids.” 

Before Noya could retort, Sugawara, who had stopped writing at some point during their conversation about hair products and had been trying to fall asleep, calmly spoke.

“I’ve been trying to sleep for half an hour already. We have to get up at 6 am tomorrow, and _I_ have to get up at 5, so I recommend you shut up if you ever want to have any children at all. Goodnight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Foggy Thoughts is playing at the beginning of the chapter is “Hero” by Regina Spektor, I totally recommend you check it out (and the rest of her music too of course).
> 
> I originally wanted to post this chapter this last Monday but, let’s be honest, I forgot. Oops, my bad. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it!!
> 
> WHEN WILL OIKAWA SHOW UP? -> 2 chapters left.


	3. What’s New Pussycat? / Volleyball Is Cool, But Isn’t This a Bit Too Much?

_Pussycat, pussycat, I've got flowers  
_ _And lots of hours to spend time with you  
_ _So go and powder your cute little pussycat nose.  
_ _\- “What’s New Pussycat?”, Tom Jones._

* * *

It was early in the morning and Ash was jogging with the team. She stayed at the back of the group to be able to see them all at the same time, while Kageyama and Hinata lead the group, as always. It seemed like they simply weren’t able to resist their urge to compete against each other in every single thing.

“Hinata! Don’t waste your breath shouting! You need that energy for later!” Daichi scolded the ginger before Ash could say anything. His words fell on deaf ears as the boy carried on with his screaming and increased his speed.

Before they knew it, Hinata had disappeared. They weren’t sure how, but he had seemingly vanished. 

Ash couldn’t believe it. This boy was incorrigible. There was no way in Hell he’d be able to really be part of the team if he continued constantly doing his own thing.

“I’ll go look for him.” Sugawara said, ever the mother figure. “You guys can continue without me. I’ll meet you back at the gym.”

With that he jogged in the direction Hinata had been running towards when he had disappeared and the team carried on.

Hinata and Sugawara returned to the gym around 10 minutes after the rest did, calmly talking to each other. Ash greeted the shorter boy by shouting at his face as she shook him violently.

“If you ever do that again I’ll kick your ass!” She could see him tremble. Ash was usually easy going enough, so her scolding him was something new. “We’re supposed to stick together, we’re a team!”

She sighed as she rubbed her temples. Hinata had nothing to do with the reason she was so mad.

“Sorry, Hinata. Just… try not to get lost so often. Your team is supposed to be able to rely on you, just as you are supposed to rely on them. You’re not on your own anymore.”

“Mind if I steal that one-liner? I'll add it to my collection.” Ukai told her, arms crossed and a small smirk on his face. Ash felt her face heat slightly, she really needed to chill out.

After a few more comments from the still slightly agitated Ash, they carried on with the volleyball practice and Ash sat down with Kiyoko. 

“So, are the other teams coming tomorrow?”

“There are no other teams.” the other girl answered as she flipped through some papers she was holding.

“What?” Ash exclaimed and turned towards Takeda, who was standing next to Ukai a few feet away from her. “Takeda!”

He turned towards her, his smile subtly morphing into a somewhat concerned expression at the face Ash was making. She looked defeated and was practically pouting.

“Yes, Ash?”

“You told me the boys would practice with other teams!”

“W-Well, they do have a practice match on the last day.”

“Last day?! What am I even doing here then?” She dramatically deflated in a way that reminded the young teacher of Nishinoya and Tanaka. He sometimes forgot she was the same age as the pair due to the collected way in which she usually talked to him.

“All the time I’ve wasted making workout routines for the team…” _And all the time I am going to waste on the following days._ She let out a long sigh and hunched her shoulders. If she were a cartoon character, she was sure she would be nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

“Hey, kid, it’s okay.” Ukai stepped in seeing the panicked expression on the young teacher’s face. “I’m sure there’ll be some time for them to try them, and if there isn’t, I’ll lend you a whole day just to practice whatever routines you had planned.”

Ash visibly perked up at that, looking a little less deflated, but not entirely. She still couldn’t stop thinking about how useless she was going to be for the training camp, only able to do something of slight importance on their morning run and while warming up.

“You could always work out,” Ash looked at Kiyoko, who had spoken hoping to cheer the girl up. “And when you’re done you can help me if you want to. I have to go pick up their uniforms this Friday and I’d like for you to come with me.”

“Tanaka and Noya are right, you truly _are_ a Goddess!” Ash’s eyes lit up at her words and she threw her arms around the older girl as she laughed. 

“HEY! GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!” she heard the aforementioned pair shout in unison. Ash could practically feel the fury emanating from them as she stuck her tongue out, not moving an inch from her position.

They ran at full speed towards her, tearing her apart from Kiyoko, who simply got up and moved away from the trio. She decided to ignore the way Tanaka and Nishinoya were shaking Ash as they threatened her into not touching their Goddess ever again, while the American girl simply laughed.

Their ruckus was interrupted by Ukai shouting at the pair to get back to training. They scampered off quickly, going back to the court as their fellow teammates snickered at them.

Once everything had calmed down, Ash stopped to consider what Kiyoko had told her. It really was a good idea; she could work out, even train a bit and then help the other girl out. That way she wouldn’t get rusty and she would learn some team management from Kiyoko. After all, she herself was both the captain and manager of the athletics team.

And that’s how she spent her days in the training camp. 

Her routine started with running with the team early in the morning. She had told Hinata with a sweet smile on her face that if he ever ran off again, she wouldn’t hesitate to put him on a leash. Hinata wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not but decided not to risk it and stayed close to the team, still leading the group of course.

During her workout sessions Ash kept an eye on the volleyball team. She usually didn’t have to make any comments since Ukai was more than capable of training them, but there had been a couple of times in which she had had to correct the way one of the boys was moving and the nod of appreciation that the coach had sent her way had felt so gratifying.

The days passed by quickly, one blending into the next, and before she knew it she was standing outside a gym in front of the Nekoma volleyball team, donning a jacket similar to the rest of her team’s with the words ‘Assistant coach’ written on the back. 

Kiyoko had surprised Ash when she had given it to her the day before. She had told her it was to make sure she knew that she was now officially part of the team. Ash had had to literally hold back tears when the whole team had smiled at her and welcomed the girl to their family.

She smiled at the other team, proudly standing next to her own.

The solemnity of the moment was broken by Hinata who let out an exclamation of confusion as he looked at the boy in front of him, a question mark practically floating above his head. That noise seemed like the cue for both teams to go inside the gym.

Ash followed Kiyoko on her way inside, noticing the way one of the boys of the other team (she would later learn his name was Yamamoto) clutched his chest as in pain as tears left his eyes in a very Tanaka-like way while looking in their direction. 

She was about to say something about it when she spotted Daichi shaking hands with someone from Nekoma. Even though they were both smiling politely at each other, she could feel the tension between them. She could also see the way they were gripping each other’s hand. Ash decided to step in before any of them broke the other’s fingers.

“Hey.” She casually greeted them, pretending not to feel the testosterone festival around her. Men, they were so competitive. “I’m Rocha Ash, Karasuno’s assistant coach.” She offered her hand to the boy in front of her.

He was kinda cute actually. 

_Why are there so many cute people playing volleyball?_

”Kuroo Tetsurō.”

“Great, so now that that’s sorted out…” She smiled at him before turning towards Daichi and shoving him in the direction the rest of the Karasuno team was standing. “Go warm up! You can continue your dick measuring contest later!” 

Daichi sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence. 

“Di- We weren’t- Ash!”

“You just go inside and do what you do best: try to get those idiots not to kill themselves or each other before the match starts. Off you go!”

Once he left the beet-red Karasuno captain with his team, Ash walked towards Ukai and Takeda, who were talking with the Nekoma coaches. She proceeded to introduce herself to them, making sure to bow to the older man first, Nekomata Yasufumi, and then to the younger one, Manabu Naoi. She then thanked them for coming to play with her team, like she had seen Takeda do.

After some encouraging words from each captain, both teams were ready to play.

The sound of a whistle echoed through the gym and the referee raised his arm to announce the beginning of the match.

“We will now commence the practice match between Nekoma High and Karasuno High!”

“Let’s have a good match!” both teams exclaimed while they bowed to each other, then proceeded to get in their respective positions on the court.

The match began with Kenma serving the ball, which Asahi received. Apparently he did so too short, which forced Kageyama to take a couple of steps forward after Nishinoya told him to cover it. Ash noticed Hinata quickly sprinting from one side of the court to the other.

Were they gonna do it so early in the game?

Hinata jumped and spiked the ball. It bounced off, its sound echoing in the suddenly silent gym. The other team stared in shock at the short boy, bringing a smirk to her face.

Ash could still remember the first time she had seen him jump, how he seemed to do it so effortlessly, like a bird taking flight. She couldn’t believe it, she still couldn’t sometimes. Hinata was truly amazing.

“What was that? He didn’t even look at the set.” she heard Nekomata exclaim. Ukai, Takeda and herself smirked evilly.

The match carried on with the Karasuno team doing surprisingly well, but it was better not to get her hopes up, Nekoma was a really good team after all. Their coach hastily called for a time out. 

She looked at the scoreboard:

 _Karasuno 10 – Nekoma 07_

The numbers made her smile and she cheered at her team once the time out was over. She decided to even try to be extra cute as she did it, standing up and making a small jump as she clapped her hands together. It seemed to work from the whines she heard coming from the other side of the court.

“It just isn’t fair! Not only do they have two female managers, but one cheers on them!” 

“Yamamoto, focus!” Manabu scolded him and the boy apologized and quickly got ready in his position. 

She giggled somewhat evilly at the scene, earning a reprobating look from Kiyoko.

“Don’t do that. It’s not fair.” 

Ash groaned and sat back down next to the manager.

“You’re no fun, Kiyoko.”

She went back to watching the match. Apparently Nekoma had started to see through Karasuno’s cracks and were scoring one point after another, quickly catching up to Karasuno, but not surpassing them yet.

_Okay, we can still win this set._

Not long after she had thought that, Nekoma scored six points, while Karasuno only four. The cats just needed one more point and they would have won the first set. 

_So maybe they can’t win this set. What about next time you shut your filthy ass mouth, Ash?_

She was so busy beating herself up she didn’t realize the first set had finished until she heard the referee blow his whistle. She looked at the scoreboard. Nekoma had been the first one to win. She wasn’t surprised.

Some words from Ukai, a pat on the back from Ash (which she regretted after feeling her hand wet from sweat) and they went back to the court. 

“Do you want to ask why I don’t swap out Hinata?” she heard Ukai say. At the beginning she was confused, thinking he was talking to her, until she noticed Tsukishima standing nearby.

“Not really.” the tall blond answered, quickly looking away from the coach.

“If this was an official match, I might swap him out. But right now, this is his chance to find the solution.” his coach explained, unfazed by the boy’s response. “However, if that results in Hinata losing his will to fight, maybe I should take him out of the match.”

Ash had noticed Hinata falling to score over and over again since the second set had started. He managed to hit the ball, but his every strike was blocked by the opposing team. She was getting worried but had decided not to let the team know, instead continuing to cheer for them. She really hoped that even if he was failing, he wouldn’t give up.

She looked at Hinata, and was taken aback by the sheer flame that lit up his eyes. He was grinning from ear to ear as he wiped the sweat from his brow, readying himself once again to deliver his signature blow. 

She didn’t need to worry. Ash mirrored his smile with one of her own. She could see as plain as day he wasn’t giving up anytime soon. 

Hinata’s whole body was on edge as his feet left the ground, his arm outstretched, his body seemingly avoiding the pull of gravity, something different in the air… and the ball flew past him. Way past him.

The short boy landed on his side with a thud as the other team celebrated. 

That was odd. Ash stared at the ball, which hadn’t been picked up by a member of the Karasuno team yet. 

She turned towards Kiyoko to discuss what had just happened but got distracted by the sight of Ukai staring at the short ginger lying on the floor, his mouth hanging open. She frowned in confusion and looked at the rest of the team, finding them all in a similar state.

“What happened?”

“Hinata was looking at… the set.” she heard someone say from behind her, one look over her shoulder let her know it was Sugawara. “Until now, he left the ball fully up to Kageyama and just took the swing!”

Ukai rose up from his seat quickly, calling for a time out.

Once the team was standing in front of him she heard him ask Kageyama to start delivering the ball at Hinata indirectly, whatever that meant. She really had to start paying more attention to Ukai’s explanations during the volleyball practices she attended.

After many failed attempts Hinata was finally able to spike the ball. Ash jumped up from her seat, raising her arms and calling his name excitedly. She wasn’t even sure if he had managed to score a point or not, but that didn’t matter much to her at the moment.

“Aw! It’s out!” Takeda groaned and she pouted slightly, a bit disappointed deep down still.

“That was amazing, Shōyō!” Ash heard Nekoma’s number seven congratulate Hinata, which brought back a smile to her face.

The match carried on, Hinata even more determined than before. But alas it couldn’t be, no matter the strategies they tried, Nekoma ended up winning the set and the match.

_Karasuno 23 – Nekoma 25_

Ash’s shoulders slumped as she sighed. She had really hoped her team would win this set. They had been so close…

“One more time!” Ash heard Hinata shout to the opposite team. She looked at him in disbelief, how could there be so much determination in such a small body? “Let’s play one more time!”

“Yeah, I plan to do just that!” Nekomata answered the boy, making him smile brightly “Practice matches are all about playing all over again.”

And play all over again they did. For the whole day.

After the third match she had practically begged for them to take a break and have lunch. She had almost started crying when the coaches from both teams had decided to finally listen to her.

“So, what are you playing?” Ash asked Nekoma’s setter as she sat down opposite him. According to Hinata, the quiet boy’s name was Kenma Kozume.

Both teams were sitting around the garden surrounding the gym, and Ash, being the social butterfly she was, had decided to get to know their rivals. And who better than the boy Hinata had already seemingly befriended? Said boy had a PSP between his hands, a bento box lying forgotten by his side.

He glanced at her for a second before answering her with an uninterested tone.

“Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep.”

“Oh, nice. I heard it’s quite good, haven’t played it myself though.” She opened her own bento box without looking. Since she had told the boys about her nonexistent culinary abilities they had forbidden her from entering the kitchen, not wanting to risk it, and today’s lunch had been courtesy of Asahi. “You’re Kenma, right? I’m Ash.”

“You like video games?” The Nekoma captain asked from where he was sitting, right beside the other boy.

She looked down at the box and was greeted by the cutest rice balls she’d ever seen. Asahi had crudely given them two kitten faces out of kelp, as well as cut her sausages into little octopi. And were those two black things… crows? Oh my God. He’d even dyed some rice black. She quickly looked around, trying to spot the tall ace, which she finally found hiding behind a tree. He looked away as soon as she met his gaze, and turned towards Noya, who hit him in the head.

“Sorry, you were saying?” Ash asked and Kuroo repeated his question.

“Yeah, although I’m shit at playing them,” she chuckled slightly, a bit embarrassed. It was no secret between her friends that she sometimes got so stressed when playing video games that she short-circuited and messed up. “So I usually stick to watching gameplays.” 

He hummed in response while he absentmindedly rummaged through his backpack, taking out a plain bento box similar to hers.

“What’chu got? Wanna trade? Yaku packed some extra salmon.” He sneaked a peek at her lunch before covering his mouth with his hand and swatting at his friend. “Ohmygod Kenma, you have to see this. I promise you’re gonna love it”

“I’m busy.”

“Come on, just look for a second. I’ll turn that thing off! ”

With a sigh, Kenma paused the game and lazily glanced over to Ash’s lunch, his eyes widening slightly and locking onto the adorable cat-shaped onigiri.

“You’re a fan of cats, huh? Very on-brand.”

Kenma quickly looked away, lowering his head and raising his console, shielding himself from the world once again. Kuroo laughed boisterously, hitting his knee as the laugh turned into a wheeze.

_Um… okay. It wasn’t even that funny. The bar must be really low around here._

She was a bit unnerved by his extreme reaction. Kuroo sighed as he hit Kenma’s back. 

“Nothing like a bit of embarrassment and light-hearted banter to bring people together, amirite, Kenma?”

“Shut up. I can’t believe I still hang out with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash's hopelessness is inspired on my own. I literally thought, for some reason, that Karasuno and Nekoma played together for the whole week that training camp lasted, not just one day. But I WAS WRONG. I HAD SO MANY IDEAS AND I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO USE ANY OF THEM.
> 
> Let's hope I’ll be able to in future chapters.
> 
> I hope you liked this chapter <3
> 
> WHEN WILL OIKAWA SHOW UP? -> 1 chapter left 
> 
> P.S.: (not next chapter, the one after that)


	4. Do It With a Rockstar / How to Get a Killer Headache for the Low, Low Price of Your Dignity

_Do you wanna dance?_ _  
__Do you wanna fight?_ _  
__Do you wanna get drunk and stay the night?_ _  
__Do you wanna smoke till our throats are sore?_ _  
__Make out and then talk and then make out some more?_ _  
__\- “Do It With a Rockstar”, Amanda Palmer._

* * *

After lunch, the teams played three more games before Ash managed to drag them away from the gym. She loved them, but she could only deal with so much volleyball for a day. 

When the last match was over, part of the Karasuno volleyball team had planned to have dinner at some restaurant. Because of their developing friendship with Nekoma, they decided to ask the other team if they wanted to come with them.

Five of them accepted the offer: Kuroo, Yamamoto (who hoped to get the courage to talk to either of the girls), Kai, Yaku and Kenma (forced by Kuroo). The rest of the team said they were either too tired or planned on going back home.

After dinner at a local restaurant, they all somehow found themselves on their way to the place the Karasuno team was staying at, with a couple of bottles of booze hidden in their bags. Kiyoko was the only one missing from their group, as she had already gone home.

Ash didn’t know how but she had somehow managed to convince/threaten Asahi into buying the drinks for them. He had been scared shitless when he had entered the small store and had practically been crying of relief when he came out, a plastic bag clutched in each of his hands.

“You’re the best, Sahi!” Ash had jumped and thrown her arms around his neck. “We told you they would think you were over 20 years old!”

“I can’t believe I’ve done this… I’m going to jail, I’m going to jail. I’m definitely going to jail and getting tried as an adult because they won’t believe I’m a high schooler, which is the reason why I’d be going to jail in the first place. It’s all a loop.” She had heard him mutter as she had stepped back and taken the bags from his hands, passing one of them to Kai.

Once in the lounge area, they waited for everyone else to go to sleep before taking the bottles and cups out of the bags. Surprisingly enough, even the so-called parents of both teams, as well as Asahi, all grabbed a plastic cup. The only one who didn’t was Kenma, he apparently didn’t like how fuzzy everything felt when drinking alcohol. Ash also thought he heard him say something about not wanting to go to jail like Asahi, which made the former go back into a panic.

“So, Ash. You’re American, right?” Kai asked as he mixed his drink.

“Yup, from good ol’ sunny San Diego, California. Why do you ask?”

“Thought we could play a drinking game.”

“Man, that’s so stereotypical. When there’s a party we don’t always play drinking games.” She huffed and leaned back against the sofa. “But sure, okay, we could play Never Have I Ever. I’m sure you know it.” Everyone nodded and she continued talking. “So, Kai, because it was your idea, you have to start. Also, for the sake of the game, Kenma, buy yourself a soda or something.” She grabbed some cash from her wallet and pressed it against his hand, giving him a stern look when he tried to refuse. “My treat.”

He went to the vending machine in one of the corners of the room while everyone else finished making their drinks.

“Okay. Never have I ever been stuck in an elevator.” Kai said as his eyes darted towards Yaku as soon as the reluctant Kenma came back, eager to start the game (and his drink).

“Really?” Yaku was the only one that drank. “It was a couple of weeks ago, there was a blackout when I was on my way to school. I swear to God, the only day I decide to take the elevator... But rest assured, never again. My turn now.” He looked at Kai “Never have I ever unintentionally flashed someone.”

Ash took a sip, surprised to see that almost everyone did too. Kai smiled smugly at Yaku as he saw that he wouldn’t be the only one drinking.

“Changing rooms,” they all said almost in unison and looked at Ash expectantly.

“One day my friend Akari came over while I was taking a shower, my dad told her she could wait for me in my room. I didn’t know she was there, so I came out of the shower, went to my room and undressed in front of her without meaning to.” She could still remember Akari’s flushed face and how she herself had scrambled to cover her body with the towel. Ash smiled fondly at the memory, not disclosing anything more than necessary. “Never have I ever had a street fight.”

Unsurprisingly, Tanaka and Yamamoto were the only ones who drank. 

Tanaka took a deep breath, changing his position and looking around as if he were to tell something that would get him in some kind of trouble. 

“It was the summer of 1984-”

As Tanaka spoke, Yamamoto’s expression seemed to change, going through a flurry of emotions. They were all staring at the both of them, eager for Tanaka to finish his story, and Yamamoto to start his. 

“- and that’s the first time I got knocked out in an alleyway.”

Tanaka leaned back and crossed his arms, a smug smirk on his face. Yamamoto instantly seemed to explode. He almost threw himself on Tanaka, his aura unreadable.

“So that was **_you_ **?!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

They all held their breaths. The pair seemed to have become fast friends after the match, but with two people with such similar, as well as clashing personalities, who knew what would happen next.

“The street outside the karaoke place, right? That was me!”

“Brooo!”

“Dudeeeee! Your left hook was amazing! I was limping for weeks, I could barely sit down.”

“Man, your kicks are where it’s at! You knocked me out cold, I sported that bruise for a week and a half!” 

The two of them carried on with their bizarre compliment chain, while everyone else looked at them, stunned.

“Never have I ever run from the police.” Daichi had decided to interrupt, the pair was getting on his nerves. One Tanaka was already more than enough.

Both Yamamoto and a very ashamed Asahi drank.

“I set off some fireworks when I really shouldn't have.” the first one explained. “Cops got called and some friends and I had to go hide so we didn't get caught.”

“Someone confused me with a local gang leader. When the police arrived, I got scared and ran.” Asahi said sheepishly, looking at his cup. Poor guy, sure, he was big and strong, but he also looked like our lord and savior Jesus Christ. Why was everyone obsessed with him being a criminal? “My turn - never have I ever cheated on an exam.”

Everyone drank. Every single one of them. Asahi gaped at them.

The more they drank, the saucier the questions got. The only one that seemed to still ask normal questions was Kenma, the only completely sober person in the room.

“Never have I ever made out with someone of the same sex,” Tanaka said.

Ash, Noya, Sugawara, Daichi and Yaku drank. She was not even surprised by which of the Karasuno players had drunk. Daichi and Sugawara looked like a married couple (they **_had_** to be dating) and she was 95% sure Noya was bisexual from the way he had been trying to flirt with Asahi the moment he had started feeling the effects of alcohol.

“A-Ash?” Yamamoto exclaimed, surprised, slightly red in the face. Apparently, he was more interested in the fact that she had made out with another girl than that the others had done so with other boys.

“Man, I’m bi as fuuuuuuuuuck.” She laughed drunkenly. “I’ll tell you who it was since you seem so interested.” Ash winked at him, making his blush deepen. “It was Akari, she’s the same one who saw me naked. Man, she’s good.” She muttered the last part as she refilled her plastic cup, having to rise to her knees from her spot on the ground. 

She had gotten up from the couch at some point and sat between Kuroo and Noya. Ash splashed her hand slightly with some of the drink when she dropped an ice cube. 

“My turn now. Never have I ever… given a lap dance,” she said after licking her hand absentmindedly. No one drank. “Boooooo, you guys suck.”

Some of the following statements seemed aimed at specific people, like when Kuroo had smiled smugly and said, ‘never have I ever lived in San Diego’. Ash had been the only one to drink and had indignantly said that that was targeting and bullying.

After a couple of more rounds, they stopped playing, some of them far too distracted by their fuzzy brains to continue. Ash had just sent a voice message she would probably regret in the morning to the group chat she had with her band. She hadn’t said anything really embarrassing, just had told them she loved them very much and asked the boys near her to say hi to her friends. However, the context was what would make her the target of her friends’ teasing.

Ash leaned towards Kenma, who was sitting beside Kuroo, staring at him intently. 

“You do be looking like a cat tho.” She didn’t break eye contact for a far too long period of time. “A very adorable cat.” She bopped his nose lightly, making him scrunch it. She awwed and threw herself back to rest against Kuroo like she had been doing for the last half-hour, as she giggled drunkenly. “You too Testsuuu, especially when you make that face.” She tried imitating the expression she was referring to, similar to a ‘:3’ emoji.

He laughed and poked her cheek, making the face she was failing to as she erupted in giggles once more.

Ash looked around the room, not really able to focus on anything. Daichi and Sugawara were practically glued by their sides to each other as they talked with Kai and Yaku, Tanaka and Yamamoto were laughing their asses off and Noya was smiling flirtatiously at Asahi, whose face seemed red enough to compete against tomatoes and win.

She took a picture of the last two and snickered somewhat evilly as she sent it to the chatroom of the volleyball team. It was one of the many pictures she had texted them, and she was pretty sure they would make her end up dead, either killed by some of the team members or from embarrassment.

Kuroo’s larger hand took her phone from hers and he hushed her as she protested. He handed the device to Kenma, asking him to take a picture of the two of them. The shorter boy sighed but did what his friend had asked him to.

“I want one with you too Kenmaaaa,” she whined, moving towards him. He sighed once more and decided to indulge her. “Now, you can give me your number and I’ll send then to you.“

She saved his number as ‘Kitty cat Kenma’, and then sent him the pictures he had taken of the three of them.

“I gotta go pee and then I’m going out for a smoke. Anyone wanna join me?” Ash asked, loud enough for the rest of the group to hear her, as she smiled while shaking the cigarette box she had fished from one of her pockets. 

“Ash...” Sugawara started, about to scold her, even if he was tipsy. 

“Just one, mom, I swear.”

“I’ll go with her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.” Kuroo offered. 

Ash wanted to laugh, as if he was in any better state than her! 

She had seen him eagerly drinking all night. Well, maybe not as eagerly as her, since he had gotten up from where he was sitting with little to no difficulty, unlike Ash, that had felt herself sway slightly when doing so.

Okay, so maybe he was in a better state than her. 

Like, yeah, he had probably drunk less than her and he was also bigger than her. But he was still pretty inebriated!

Ukai saw them both on their way outside as he walked back towards his room. 

Ash had just come out of the bathroom and the captain from Nekoma had been waiting for her, a plastic cup in each of his hands and looking at her. She was rummaging through her pockets, probably looking for her lighter judging by the cigarette box she had in one of her hands. 

She laughed in triumph and raised her hand, showing Kuroo the lighter. Ukai chuckled and turned around, deciding to pretend he hadn’t seen them. After all, they were teenagers. They deserved to live a little.

Ash lit up her cigarette, she should really try to drop the bad habit. She took a long drag and then blew the smoke out, making sure not to do so towards Kuroo, and then waving it away with her hand.

He gave her back her cup, it was the third she had had that night and it was almost already half-empty while Kuroo was still on his second one. 

After she finished her cigarette, Kuroo helped her find a trash can for her to throw it away. She wasn’t about to throw it to the ground, not even shit-faced as she was, she had principles. When they returned to the backyard they decided to stay outside for a bit longer. To _‘clear their heads’_ , Ash had said before taking a big gulp of her drink.

One moment they both were leaning against the wall and the next they found themselves kissing. They weren’t sure who had started it, but it didn’t matter at the moment.

Ash’s back was pressed against the wooden wall of the building, Kuroo’s chest against hers. After some minutes of making out, his mouth started traveling to her neck, making a soft moan escape her.

“Hey, stop for a sec.” she managed to whisper as she felt his lips on her skin. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-” he stepped back, removing his hands from her hips.

“Nah don’t worry, it’s cool,” she said nonchalantly. “As long as you don’t leave any marks of course, just wanted to tell you that. It’s starting to get hot and I don’t wanna wear scarves. Also, don’t wanna have to cover them with makeup. “

“Hey, ‘bout that, how do you do it? Covering stuff with makeup I mean.”

And that’s how they went from a passionate make-out session to a makeup lesson. 

“I can show you if you want, I have some makeup back in the room. “

“But we’d need something to cover up.”

“I can easily fix that.” She smiled almost in a wolfish way, but quickly added: “If you’re okay with that of course.”

That left Kuroo speechless, his cheeks flushing and all he could do was nod.

She leaned towards him, pressing him against the wall this time, and connected her lips to his. After a minute she moved to his neck, covering it with small kisses as she travelled downwards. She chose the point where his shoulder and neck met and sucked lightly. 

“Fuck.” She heard him breathe out softly, making her chuckle lightly against his skin. 

Once satisfied with the mark she had left on him, she soothed it with a soft kiss before going back to his mouth, his grip on her waist tightening slightly. She stepped back and took his hand, smiling at him as she dragged him back inside.

Ash managed to climb up the stairs without falling, mostly thanks to Kuroo, who had opted to circle her waist with his arm, to make her more stable. 

The dimly lit corridor was silent, the noise downstairs barely reaching it. Once in front of the closed door of the bedroom, she shared with the rest of the team she giggled and pressed her finger to his lips.

“We have to be quiet, I’m sure everyone is asleep.” 

She turned around and slid the door open as quietly as she could, the soft lighting from the corridor entering the pitch-black room. Ash grabbed Kuroo’s hand once more and tiptoed towards her cot on the floor. 

“Ash?” She heard a voice ask. It was Kageyama, who had sat up groggily and was looking at the pair.

“Kags, go back to sleep.” She moved towards him and pushed him down softly with one hand, her makeup bag in the other. Ash pressed her lips to his forehead, giggling softly at his surprised face and earning a shush from Kuroo. 

He put his hand on her waist again, pushing her out of the room as she waved goodbye at Kageyama.

They dragged themselves back to the lounge area, both Kuroo and Ash’s plastic cups filled again, but this time she also had a water bottle (courtesy of Kenma). She started taking all the makeup she would need out of her small bag. She hadn’t brought everything she had, just what she considered essentials, which included her “hickey pack” (primer, a color corrector palette, concealer and foundation).

“Okay, so, I’m no beauty guru, buuuut, this is what I usually do.”

Once she had everything laid in front of her, she proceeded to explain everything to Kuroo, babbling all the way. Ash wasn’t sure what she had talked about, but she remembered something about Star Wars, constellations, hangover cures and her first hickey.

Kenma had left the pair shortly after to ‘find some peace and quiet’ and they had found themselves once more making out between laughter. Ash appreciated the fact that each time Kuroo diverted from her mouth to her neck he simply kissed her, still taking into account what she had told him when they were outside.

When they had started she had heard Noya cheer for her, earning a wink from her, then carried on talking with Tanaka and Yamamoto, as well as occasionally flirting with Asahi, whose expression had settled on an endearingly embarrassed smile. Nishinoya also managed to sneak a picture of the pair when no one was looking, which he then sent to the volleyball team group chat. He wasn’t yet aware of the pictures of him she had also sent, but the moment he found out, he’d think of what he had done as completely deserved. 

Ash and Kuroo were back on the couch she had been sitting on at the beginning of the night. She was on his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as he explained how glass was actually a liquid.

“It just flows very, very slowly!” he excitedly exclaimed as he carried on with his explanation. Ash wondered if what he was saying was true or if it was something he had come up with in his drunkenness.

If it was true (which she later found out it actually was) she couldn’t help but wonder how he was able to remember so many chemistry facts. She could barely remember her name at that point.

Ash was starting to feel extremely sleepy and couldn’t suppress the yawn that left her. She was also in a cuddly mood and, while Kuroo was a great cuddling partner, she wanted to try something.

“Sahiii. Come hereee.” She called the boy as she gestured with her arms for him to get closer to her. He did just that, followed by Noya, who seemed to be clinging to him. “I wanna cuddle with youuu.”

“Hey!” Both Kuroo and Nishinoya exclaimed at the same time, but for different reasons.

“I thought you liked cuddling with me.” the Nekoma captain whined, pouting slightly, pretending to be offended.

“And I do! But, look at Asahi! Doesn’t he look like a giant teddy bear?” She raised her arms, pointing at the aforementioned teen. “Also, don’t worry Noya, I’m not gonna steal him away.” She winked at the libero, and the pair standing in front of her blushed. “Now,” She grabbed Asahi’s arm, pulling him down and making him sit on the side of the sofa that was unoccupied. She untangled herself from Kuroo and crawled towards Asahi. “It’s cuddling time!”

Not much later, she started dozing off. Asahi was as good at cuddling as she had imagined and he indeed felt like a giant teddy bear. When Ash felt she was definitely about to fall asleep she somehow managed to call Kuroo over, who had left from the sofa to sit with Kenma at some point.

“I’m gonna fall asleep-” she mumbled to him, her words slurred thanks to both sleep and alcohol- “so I wanted to kiss you goodnight,” she then proceeded to kiss him on the lips before promptly passing out.

* * *

A wave of nausea flowed through Ash’s body. Hangovers: the most unpleasant alarm clocks of all time.

She woke up feeling like puking, she must have had a little too much booze. She rolled slowly to her left side; it was something that usually helped her ease the nausea. She opened her eyes slightly, glad that the curtains hadn’t been completely drawn, but still couldn’t escape from the pain the light brought to her eyes.

Once she felt able to sit up without worrying about last night’s dinner ending up all over the floor, she took a look around the room. The first thing she noticed was that she was in the bedroom she shared with the team. Someone, probably Asahi, had brought her there after she had passed out. 

As she rubbed her eyes (immediately regretting it after remembering she hadn’t taken the little makeup she wore off) she saw she wasn’t alone, but the room was almost empty. She could distinguish Noya lying down on a cot that wasn’t his own, but Asahi’s, the gentle giant nowhere to be seen. Tanaka was sprawled over his cot, it seemed like he hadn’t even bothered to get inside it, and loud snores were coming out his open mouth, making her wince.

Ash crawled towards her bag and grabbed some clean clothes and a pack of makeup remover wipes. 

After a trip to the bathroom she grabbed her phone, that, surprisingly, still had some battery left, and went back to the lounge area. She put some money into the vending machine and selected a water bottle. It was cool, so she pressed it to her forehead. 

Ash sat down on one of the sofas and scrolled through her phone. She had some messages from the Foggy Thoughts’ group chat as well as from the volleyball team one, that she decided to ignore (she’d read them in the privacy of her home, where she would die of embarrassment in peace) and two more from Kitty cat Kenma.

 **Kitty cat Kenma:** [It’s Kenma, last night we got an Uber and went back to the place where we are staying.]

 **Kitty cat Kenma:** [Kuroo told me he wanted you to call him when you woke up. Here’s his number.] 

_Oh my God._

_Shit shit shit shit._

She put her hands over her eyes groaning. She didn’t want to call him. What if he wanted them to date? She didn’t want a relationship. At least not right now.

She groaned once more and dialed the number Kenma had sent her.

“Yeah?” Kuroo gruffly answered the phone, she had probably woken him up.

“Hi, it’s Ash.”

“Hey, how you feelin’?” he asked as he yawned. “You were totally shit-faced last night.”

“I feel like dying, but nothing some water, sleep and aspirin won’t fix.” She laughed lightly, shifting nervously on the sofa. “So... about last night....” she started, how should she put it? She didn’t want to hurt his feelings “Look, I really liked it but I just don’t-“

“Hey, you don’t need to say anything. I feel you, dude.” Kuroo interrupted her, an almost relieved tone in his voice. “None of us wanna date anyone at the moment. “

“Exactly! So… You’re okay with this being a one-time thing?”

“I mean, I wouldn’t complain if it happened again, but I’d rather keep it casual.”

“Same.” She laughed, all worries leaving her. She definitely wouldn’t mind if they repeated what had happened last night, but what really mattered to her was that they could still become friends. He seemed like a really chill dude.

They talked for a few minutes until she saw Tanaka walking towards the dining area and said goodbye to Kuroo. After hanging up she called out the boy’s name, both of them wincing at the loud sound.

“I’m not drinking that much ever again.” he groaned when she approached him.

“Sure. Keep lying to yourself. We all do.” 

They entered the room, where most of their underclassmates were already having breakfast. Neither of them was prepared for what awaited them. Whatever conversation the others were having immediately stopped as soon as they stepped inside, and all of the first years stared at them.

“So, you two really went all-out last night.” Tsukishima’s voice reached their ears, breaking the somewhat tense silence in the room. He was sitting next to Yamaguchi and had a shit-eating grin on his face as he lightly waved his phone.

Apparently, Kageyama had told the rest of the team about how she had practically stumbled into the room with Kuroo in tow. But also had, for some reason, left out how red he had turned when she had kissed him on the forehead, which would not remain a secret for much longer if their teasing became too much. 

Both the Kuroo ‘incident’ and the pictures Noya and herself had stupidly sent to the group chat had given the first years enough teasing material for the rest of their lives.

Ash moved towards the only free spot of the table, coincidently, next to Tsukishima. She stopped for a second, seriously considering having breakfast on her own in the lounge area.

“Seriously, Ash,” the blond boy continued with his teasing, his head resting on his hand as he sat sideways to face her completely. “I’m surprised your lips aren’t bruised by how all over Nekoma’s captain you were.”

She felt like slamming her head against the table, or Tsukishima’s. She wasn’t sure. 

Ash took out her phone, purposely ignoring both the boy and how hot her face felt. She felt it grow hotter and hotter as she scrolled through the seemingly endless pictures that Nishinoya had sneakily sent, featuring her and the Nekoma captain in a not so family-friendly situation, still PG-13 though.

Seeing that he was going to get nowhere with teasing the American girl (at least not for the moment), Tsukishima turned towards his other target. 

“Tanaka, I particularly like the part of the video Nishinoya sent where you sob like a bald baby while hugging Nekoma’s ace.”

Tanaka groaned and hid his face between his hands. Nishinoya entered the room as he stretched his arms over his head, yawning. He squinted his eyes at the bright lights and ruffled his hair.

“How are you all this energetic? I honestly feel like shit after last night.”

“I’m pretty sure you know what’s going on,” Tsukishima **_shouted_ **, the little fucker, brandishing his phone. Nishinoya looked at Ash, who stared back at him, unapologetically.

“Oh, crap.”

* * *

Ash rubbed her face as she waited for her dad to pick up his phone. She had decided to video call them after the neverending breakfast, which she had left early after simply having a cup of tea. She really hoped her dad’s usual cheerful mood would help her forget about her embarrassment. 

If not…

Well, she could always try hitting her head against something in hopes of getting amnesia. 

“ _Honey, you look like shit._ ”

Instead of her dad, her mom had been the one to pick up the call, something that surprised Ash. It was still relatively early in the morning and, if she remembered correctly, she had arrived really late at night from Paris.

“ _Maura!_ ” her father exclaimed indignantly appearing on the screen.

“ _Good morning to you too,_ ” Ash replied in her mother tongue.

Ash looked like the perfect mix of her parents. She had the same strawberry blond hair as her dad, and her mom’s gray eyes, from whom she had also inherited the inability to cook.

“ _I’m just saying it like it is,_ ” her mom said, the soft smile on her face letting Ash know she was only kidding. “ _Are you hungover? Did you drink last night?_ ”

“ _Yeah..._ ” she answered without hesitation. “ _Had a couple of drinks with the boys._ ”

“ _Did you have fun?_ ” her dad asked after shooting his wife a playful glare, who stuck her tongue out at him. “ _Any hot boys, any cute girls...?_ ” 

Ash smiled excitedly, her mood shifting completely. She’d been right to hope talking with her family would cheer her up. She loved talking with her parents. She could tell them almost anything. Not anything, of course. Like, for example, a certain not very healthy habit she found hard to break.

“ _A boy, Kuroo Tetsurō._ ”

“ _Ohhh, tell me tell me!_ ” her dad exclaimed like a schoolgirl, making her mom laugh.

“ _It’s not that short of a story. We met him and his team at a match, actually._ ”

She explained who Kuroo was and what they’d done together (omitting certain details, but her parents got the general idea). Her mom teasingly asked for a picture of him, which Ash adamantly refused to send as most of the pictures featuring both of them on her phone were certainly not something you’d send to your parents. 

_“So… Tell me, how much did you drink?_ ” her mom asked, a knowing look on her face.

“ _Oh my God, mom!_ ” Ash exclaimed and laughed as she threw her free arm up in the air “ _I’m not an alcoholic!_ ”

“ _Not willing to carry on good old family traditions, I see?_ ”

“ _Gerald!_ ”

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Don’t worry guys, this is still and Oikawa x OC (this whole chapter was me just wanting to make out with Kuroo. There’s plenty of me to go around, I’m not picky).
> 
> No, the chapters are not getting longer, that’s just your imagination hahahaha. It’s not like I’m incapable of following my own guidelines. Not at all.
> 
> WHEN WILL OIKAWA SHOW UP? -> next chapter! Finally!


	5. Burn /  Nearly Threw Hands With a Cult of Schoolgirls

_You can talk all you want but your words don't mean anything_ _  
__I was broken apart now I don't bow to any king_ _  
__Cause I'm a powerful queen and I mean to be heard my word is here_ _  
__And just so we're clear_ _  
__Baby, I'd rather burn._ _  
__\- "Burn", Tessa Violet ft. Dodie Clark._

* * *

She was late. 

She was so fucking late.

Ash had woken up to the sound of an incoming call from her phone. After groggily picking it up, Sugawara’s voice blared from the speaker, demanding to know where she was. At that she had looked at the time, barely able to keep her eyes open, and realized it was almost 09:35. Five minutes after the time she was supposed to meet with the team to oversee their match against Aoba Johsai.

That completely woke her up.

“ _Shit shit shit shit._ ” she mumbled in English as she ripped off her sheets, then started rummaging through her drawers. She always chose her clothes the night before, but the one time she had decided not to, she had overslept. She held her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she looked for an outfit. “I’m so sorry Sugawara, I fell asleep.”

She heard him sigh, like a disappointed mother.

“Just meet us there. I’ll send you the address.”

After the call she had quickly dressed up, grabbed her school bag, not wanting to bother looking for a cute handbag where to carry her wallet, which was conveniently already inside it. She ran downstairs, skipping breakfast and hoping there’d be a vending machine in the place the match was taking place.

Half an hour later she found herself storming into the Sendai City Gymnasium, running through the halls and towards the volleyball courts. Her shoulder slammed against someone, but she couldn’t stop, so she shouted an apology at the stunned person and continued running, her victim an already faraway brown, teal and white blur.

_Great, I just got here and I’ve already assaulted a member of the opposing team!_

Once inside the gym, she stopped for a second to look for any of her fellow schoolmates. After spotting Ukai’s familiar blond hair she quickly power walked towards him, deciding against running so as not to bring any more attention to herself than she already had.

“I’m here.” Ash huffed as she almost threw herself on the bench next to the coach.

“H-How? We literally just got here!” he exclaimed in disbelief. He took in her appearance: dishevelled hair pointing in almost every direction, red face and a subtle layer of sweat covering her forehead. “It’s almost half an hour by car from the school and you probably live further!”

“Did you run all the way here?” Hinata’s excited voice reached her ears. “I knew you were fast, but I didn’t think you were that fast!” 

“I didn’t run.” She laughed as she patted down her hair before giving up and deciding to tie it in a low ponytail. “I rode my bike. Don’t know how, but here I am. Maybe I should consider ditching the athletics team and join a cycling club or something.”

“Still, that’s amazing!”

After catching her breath for a few more minutes and apologizing to the team (mainly to Sugawara, she felt like she owed him), Ash decided to go buy something to eat. There were still 15 minutes left until the match. If she found the vending machine fast enough, maybe she would even have time for a quick smoke.

Finding it was easy, but an army of schoolgirls had decided to hold the machine hostage, having apparently bought half the things displayed in the poor thing.

“I heard from Sota that Oikawa really likes milk bread. So, I’m going to buy him some.” One of the girls, probably a year younger than Ash, excitedly said to another one.

“That way he’ll notice you! So jealous!”

They continued giggling as they took their sweet time choosing the perfect bread for ‘Oikawa’. Ash had been waiting for almost ten minutes, and these two girls were the last ones left, as the rest had been dismissed by their leader and had subsequently scattered. She had discarded the idea of having a smoke, which, added to the fact that she was hungry and in need of some coffee, put her in a bad mood.

“Excuse me,” she said, teeth clenched and trying not to sound as fed up as she felt “but could you please hurry up? I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“S-sorry.” One of the girls bowed and quickly selected the snack she wanted, then almost bolted from the place with her friend in tow.

Ash chuckled lightly, glad the girls had been polite. She had been ready to get physical if needed.

Not kidding.

She looked at what the vending machine offered in dismay. It was almost empty. How much did this Oikawa dude need to eat? She had heard almost every single girl say they were buying something for him.

As she skimmed her eyes over the vending machine, Ash prayed to whoever was up there that his favorite drink wasn’t coffee, or then he’d be in trouble. Apparently, the boss upstairs had listened and the drinks row was fully stocked. She sighed happily, a tear threatening to leave her eyes.

After buying the beverage and a bag of cookies, she briskly walked back to the gym. There, she plopped down next to Ukai, opening the can of coffee and the cookies, which she offered to both the coach and Kiyoko. Both of them shook their heads but thanked her nonetheless. Ash took a sip from the drink, letting some of the liquid rest on her tongue for a second.

The match was about to start, the boys had been called over to the court and were standing in front of the other team, Aoba Johsai.

Or Seijoh, she wasn’t sure what to call them. At the beginning, she had been really confused when she had found out Aoba Johsai and Seijoh were the same team and not two separate ones.

Ash hadn't been able to go to the matches against Tokonami and Dateko the day before because she had to rehearse with her band, but had been able to catch a glimpse of her team in the local news after Tanaka had excitedly called her and demanded her to turn her TV on.

As both teams got into position Ash noticed something. The mood around their opponents had suddenly shifted after whatever their captain had told them. The carefree team she had seen while they warmed up was seemingly gone and now a resolute one stood in its place.

The match began with Karasuno having the first serve but Aoba Johsai was quick to score a point. A setter dump, Ukai had called it after cursing under his breath. Ash saw the arrogant smile on the other team’s captain and frowned, slightly clenching the fist that held her bag of cookies, long forgotten.

The referee blew his whistle and the game carried on, with Seijoh serving this time. Hinata and Kageyama used their super-fast attack, but the ball was easily received by the other team. Their captain jumped, ready to spike it, only to completely change his body’s position at the last minute, setting the ball for one of his teammates.

“He went from spike to… set!” Ash heard Ukai exclaim from where he was sitting to her right.

“What the fuck.” she couldn’t help but mutter. “He’s really good.”

Any amazement the girl felt towards him quickly dissipated when she heard the excited cries coming from the bleachers. She looked over her shoulder and found a group of girls, spotting among them the pair she had spoken to at the vending machine. Not only were they all cheering for him, but some were also… crying? 

_I swear to God, if I have to deal with this the whole match…_

Ash suddenly realized something: if those girls were fangirling over Aoba Johsai’s captain, that meant he was _the_ Oikawa dude. She looked at him and, honestly, she could understand why they were acting the way they were. 

He was really cute and… he looked somewhat familiar. She tried not to focus on the way his arms flexed when he stretched, ready to strike (and strike he would). His fangirls swooned as he delivered an expert serve.

“Ukai, who is he?” she decided to ask the coach, just to make sure her suspicions were right.

“That’s Oikawa Tooru. Honestly, I’m surprised you don’t know who he is. He’s very popular with the ladies.”`

Ash huffed at his response as Karasuno’s coach went back to paying attention to his team.

“Yeah, sure, he’s cute. But, he’s probably just a fuck boy.”

“A-Ash!” Takeda exclaimed from where he was sitting next to Ukai, who laughed loudly at what she had said. She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, choosing to pay attention to the match instead of the fact that she had just used the term ‘fuck boy’ in front of the teacher.

Hinata ran at full speed while asking Kageyama to set for him, at the same time as Tanaka moved towards the other side of Karasuno’s number nine. She also noticed Asahi moving to the front of the court, getting ready to spike as well.

What were they doing?

What happened next completely surprised Ash. Kageyama softly pushed the ball over the net and scored at point. He had decided to copy the first attack of their opponent and had dumped them back. 

Ash couldn’t help but stand up while raising her arms, somehow managing not to spill any of her food over herself.

“YOU GO KAGS!”

Ash sat down as she looked proudly at her team. Sure, they had only scored one point, but she was sure it was going to be the first of many.

After Aoba Johsai called for a timeout, Ash walked towards Noya, with the intent of congratulating him for having been able to receive Oikawa’s serve. As she was making her way there she couldn’t help but stop when she heard Sugawara talking with Hinata and Kageyama.

“Have they already figured it out?”

“Figured what out?” she asked him.

“Our secret signals!” Hinata whined. He sounded very excited about their secret technique, but also disappointed at the fact that their opponent seemed to be one step ahead of them.

“Any time Hinata uses the word ‘send’, Kageyama and himself use their super-fast attack.” Suga explained to her in a hushed tone of voice “But, if he says ‘give’ they go for a normal one.”

“It’s a shame we won’t be able to use them anymore,” Hinata said as his shoulders slumped “Seijoh is too smart.”

“Well, they aren’t in the top three for nothing,” she told the boy as Suga nodded along with her. “It’s not just because of Oikawa’s serves or sets. Remember there’s no such thing as a one-person team, Hinata.”

Ash patted his back as she moved towards her original destination. She discreetly wiped her hand on her jeans at the feeling of his sweat, when would she ever learn not to touch the boys while they were playing? 

She reached Nishinoya and quickly congratulated him after she heard the whistle indicating the end of the timeout.

As the match carried on Ash started talking with Kiyoko, both of them still paying attention to it. Their conversation was interrupted when Ukai called for a timeout after many failed attempts at receiving Aoba Johsai’s number twelve’s serves. 

Once the timeout was over and the boys went back to the court Ash started paying more attention to the game. She quickly noticed Tanaka’s frustration by how unusually quiet he was being. She assumed Seijoh must have been targeting him non-stop. 

“Nice one, Ryū!” she cheered once the boy was finally able to prevent the ball from hitting the floor.

After their opponent blocked another of Tanaka’s spikes again, Ukai asked Takeda to call for another timeout. Ash was surprised, it had been a really short time since the last one.

She looked at Tanaka, worried by his serious face, and was about to get up from where she was sitting to say something to try and cheer him up when he suddenly slapped both his cheeks. Ash flinched and looked at his face, now with two red handprint-shaped marks. 

“I apologize!” he practically shouted as he bowed to the team.

“That last set was real difficult, and you had a triple block on you. I failed-” Nishinoya replied.

“I failed to call for the set!” he interrupted his best friend. “I freaked out for a second. Dammit!” Tanaka rose from his bowing position, eyes shining with resolve. “I’ll do a shitload of regretting once the match is over! I have no real redeeming qualities, so there’s no use dragging down the team by caving over my own mistakes! I’ll make it count the next time.” 

“The ability to say that is one hell of a redeeming quality!” Ukai said while smiling at the boy, who sheepishly smiled back as he rubbed the back of his head. 

Once the timeout ended, Ash became aware of Kageyama growing more and more desperate. He seemed to be almost fidgeting, his eyes darting back and forth from one side of the court to the other and his whole body seemed rigid.

“Ukai,” he looked at her sideways, his face completely serious and with a small frown. “Maybe - don’t you think you should swap him for Suga? Let Kageyama calm down.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” he answered, looking at Karasuno’s current setter, his frown deepening slightly. “As soon as either of the teams scores a point I will.”

Another point from Seijoh and Ukai stood up. Ash looked at the scoreboard for the first time, being too afraid to do so before. What she saw made her eyes widen and she could swear she felt her heart stop for a moment.

_Aoba Johsai 20 — Karasuno 10_

Aoba Johsai had ten more points than them.

They were going to lose.

Ash ran her fingers through her hair, forgetting it was tied in a low ponytail and successfully ruining it.

A sound of a whistle being blown made her snap out of her horrified daze. She shook the feeling off, trying not to let any of it show as to not discourage her team.

Ash looked in the direction the sound had come from and found Sugawara standing there with a small sign with the number nine on it. In realization Ash looked at Ukai in the eye for a second, sharing a knowing nod. She looked for Kageyama and saw him staring at his fellow setter with a horrified look on his face.

Once Kageyama stepped out of the court and walked towards Ukai, who was back on the bench next to Ash, the coach spoke.

“Kageyama, I want you to watch closely from the sidelines and use the opportunity to calm down. Watch how your upperclassman plays.”

Ash was so busy watching Kageyama as he moved to stand besides Hinata on the sidelines of the court that she almost missed Sugawara beating the shit out of his teammates. 

She watched in attonishent as the silver-haired boy proceeded to punch Daichi on the chest and both karate chop Asahi’s side and Tsuki’s head in the span of a minute, all of it with a wide smile on his face. His enthusiasm made his team mirror his grin as he carried on, not really bothered by their setter hitting them.

As the team got back in formation Ash noticed Suga scolding Daichi for not yelling as much as usual, claiming it was important for the captain to cheer on his team. They seemed like an old married couple. She seriously couldn’t understand why nobody had said anything about it yet - hey **_had_ **to be dating! 

Once Karasuno started playing with Sugawara as their setter they began to score points, even managing to make a super-fast attack. Ash looked at the scoreboard, and felt a smile form on her face.

_Aoba Johsai 22 — Karasuno 15_

Just as her hopes were starting to rise she realized it was Oikawa’s turn to serve. 

She looked at him, his face completely serious as he bounced the ball with his right hand and his eyes focused on the players from Karasuno. He served as his supporters cheered and he scored a point.

Oikawa served once more and scored another point. Ash didn’t need to check the scoreboard to know it was set point for Seijoh. She worried at her lip between her teeth and crossed her fingers discreetly when she saw Oikawa get ready to serve again.

“I’ll get it!” Daichi yelled at the top of his lungs as the ball flew across the court. Ash let out a sigh of relief when he was able to receive it.

“Hinata, just spike it back!” she heard Kageyama shout and she looked at Karasuno’s number ten. She could see the worry in his face because, if she remembered correctly, Hinata had never done so before, but nonetheless, he tried.

And failed.

“You klutz!” the black-haired boy shouted as Hinata told him to shut up, blushing slightly. 

“It’s out.” Kiyoko, who had been quietly watching the match since the first timeout called by Karasuno much like Ash herself, broke her silence.

“Awww.” the American girl couldn’t help but whine. She had really hoped they'd be able to catch up to Aoba Johsai.

“Time to change sides. Let’s go!” Ukai told those around him.

As they grabbed their things and migrated to the bench that was being vacated by both of Seijoh’s coaches, Ash looked at her team, who was standing in front of their opponent.

They had just lost the first set but they didn’t seem as discouraged as they had before. Maybe there was still hope after all.

Both teams bowed and proceeded to switch places.

The second set started with Karasuno using a serve receive W formation the moment it was Oikawa’s turn to serve. Daichi and Noya were at the back, as they were Karasuno’s best receivers. Ash only knew about the formation because she had been shamelessly eavesdropping as Ukai and the team planned their next last-minute strategy. It seemed to work, allowing Karasuno to score much easily.

However, Aoba Johsai’s spikers were seemingly slowly learning to anticipate Suga’s sets and had started to be able to block them, Karasuno’s team still managing to score some points before it was too late.

_Karasuno 14 — Aoba Johsai 15_

Ukai switched Sugawara for Kageyama after another successful block from Seijoh. As the silver-haired boy took the small sign from the younger setter, Ash got up and walked towards him, raising both her arms to high-five him while smiling at her upperclasmate. He’d done a great job in lifting the team’s spirits and helping them recover from the first set.

Suga had wiped his hands on his pants before high-fiving her, remembering how Ash had complained about their sweat one day after Tanaka had thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as they joked around during practice. She felt herself smile at the sweet gesture.

“Let’s win this.”

* * *

“Ooh-oh-oooh, Seijoh! Seijoh!”

An annoyed smile appeared on Ash’s face as she clenched her teeth. She was getting sick and tired of Seijoh’s fanclub’s cheering. They had been going at it for almost the whole match, only stopping when Oikawa served, and it was simply _to chant a different thing_.

“If, you don’t stop, I’ll fucking, end you!” she sang quietly, mimicking the melody of the cheer.

“Kageyama, remember to relax!” Takeda shouted to said boy, only to mutter a surprised ‘Oh, he seems okay’ afterwards. 

Ash looked at Karasuno’s number nine. He seemed completely relaxed and focused, all desperation from the first set gone and replaced by determination and… was that excitement?

The sight brought a small smile to her face.

Kageyama jumped to serve and managed to score, making both teams reach a tie. His second serve was able to scatter most of Aoba Johsai’s players all over the court, allowing him to advance to the front and get ready to set for Hinata.

Their opponent's blockers waited for the short boy to shout the words ‘send’ or ‘give’, but were shocked when he said nothing and went for a super-fast attack, scoring another point more.

_Did they really think they’re so stupid as not to change their signals?_

After Kageyama scored another point, Aoba Johsai called for a timeout. Ash looked at the scoreboard.

_Karasuno 21 — Aoba Johsai 19_

They were winning!

Once back at the court, Aoba Johsai started to score until both teams were tied, causing Ukai to call for a timeout.

“Come on, guys! You look too tense!” Ash heard Karasuno’s coach exclaim as he grabbed Tanaka’s face with one hand, squeezing his cheeks “Stay calm! You’re moving well!”

She smiled at Ukai’s tries to calm his team down. He really cared about them, even if he tried to hide it sometimes by acting all tough.

“Um. How was that last set for you?” 

At those words Ash turned her head so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. Kageyama… Had Kageyama just willingly started a conversation with Tsukishima?! And, not only that, but was he really asking his opinion on his sets?!

“It pisses me off ‘cause it’s like being told, ‘Shut up and hit it, you pleb!’” 

Tsukishima’s answer made Ash shiver slightly in fear.

_Oh shit… Now he’s done it._

She could see Sugawara walking towards the pair, ready to get between them if a fight broke out, but was surprised, as well as everyone else, when Kageyama spoke again, surprisingly calm.

“What do you mean?”

_Someone must have put something in the coffee I drank this morning. There’s no way Kageyama just said that. I feel like I just saw a unicorn._

* * *

Tsukishima and Kageyama managed to move in at the last second and block Aoba Johsai’s ace's spike, winning Karasuno’s 25th point. Their prior conversation had gone surprisingly well, and Kageyama’s newfound attempts to communicate with his classmates were definitely paying off.

They had won the set!

Ash threw her arms around Kiyoko in excitement, squeezing her for a moment and feeling the older girl do the same, before standing up and making small jumps. Her face hurt from how big she was smiling. 

She threw herself at the first boy of the team she laid her eyes upon, for once not caring about the sweat, she was simply too happy. The lucky boy turned out to be Tsukishima. The stoic boy softly pushed her away as he awkwardly thanked her after she congratulated him. 

During the break between sets Ash helped Kiyoko and Takeda hand out water bottles and towels, while making sure to congratulate each and every boy, even the ones that hadn’t been playing.

The third set began with Seijoh scoring a point, followed closely by Karasuno doing the same, the tension in the room was palpable as both teams fought in what felt like a full-on battle. 

The points quickly racked up in the scoreboard, the clicking of the cards flipping frantically merging with the squeak of their shoes sliding over the waxed floor. The teams danced around each other, their scores almost catching up to each other but not quite in an endless uphill climb.

At some point the score gap seemed to start growing in Aoba Johsai’s favour and Ukai called for a timeout in hope of breaking their momentum, after which Karasuno's coach decided to swap Hinata for Yamaguchi. Ash stood up and walked towards the freckled boy’s trembling form and put a hand on his shoulder, startling him. 

“Hey, it’s okay Yams.” she told him softly with a smile “Just breathe. You’ll do great!”

The referee blew his whistle and the boy raised the arm in which he held the sign with Hinata’s number, he was still trembling. He looked at her and thanked her with a shaky smile that looked more like a pained grimace.

Karasuno’s number ten walked towards the two of them and, after another reassuring smile from Ash, Yamaguchi took a step forward, not yet in the court, but closer still.

“Yamaguchi!” Ukai exclaimed, making the boy turn around. “Go change the momentum!”

He nodded with determination and stepped into the court. 

His teammates greeted him and Yamaguchi got ready to serve as Ash returned to the bench. She saw how nervous the boy was and couldn’t help but cross her fingers when he threw the ball upwards.

Yamaguchi had excitedly told her one day after practice that one of Ukai’s friends was teaching him how to make a float serve. He found it hard and only managed to do it right one time out of ten, but he was excited to be able to help his team. Ash really hoped this would be one of those times. 

She watched him set, the ball flying across their side of the court and hitting the net without managing to get over it. Yamaguchi returned to the sidelines in shame, standing in front of Ukai to apologize to him.

“Just shake it off, Yamaguchi.” Takeda told him with a calm smile even though Ash could feel his worry for both the team and the boy.

“Don’t think about it. Leave it behind you.” said Ukai, really meaning it. It was no use beating himself up for what had just happened.

Ash felt like she should say something to Yamaguchi. After all, she had been the one to try to calm him down the first time, but before she could even open her mouth he had already turned around and was walking back towards the bench the rest of the players were on.

The game carried on and Ash was glad to see that after Daichi approached Yamaguchi to talk to him, the green-haired boy looked less melancholic. 

She looked away from her underclassmate, briefly glancing at the scoreboard to find it was set point for Aoba Johsai before looking back to the court, locking her eyes on the ball soaring towards the other team’s side. Ash could see Oikawa was ready to spike, score and win the match.

But nothing was ever so easy.

Kageyama jumped, just one hand stretched towards the ceiling and touched the ball barely an instant before it got over the net. He set for Hinata, who spiked and scored.

_Aoba Johsai 24 — Karasuno 24_

_Deuce!_

_Whoever takes a two-point lead first wins!_

Ukai’s voice echoed through her head. It was one of the few things Ash had managed to learn from him and she couldn’t be happier to possess such knowledge.

The quieting of the _goddamned_ cheers let Ash know it was Oikawa’s turn to serve once more.

He stared at the ball as it went past Nishinoya’s head, a look of shock crossing the captain’s face for a second before it went back to the blank mask devoid of emotion he’d been wearing for most of the match. He had flubbed the set, allowing Karasuno to reach set point.

Ash could see both teams were exhausted but neither of them was ready to give up just yet. 

They were both amazing.

She couldn’t help but admire the resilience of all the players, both the ones on the court and on the sidelines. 

Hinata running at full-speed from one side of the court to the other made her focus once again. He’d been sprinting non-stop for most of the set, barely giving himself a second to rest. This made Ash feel both amazed and worried at the same time.

She wondered where he got the energy to be able to maintain such high levels of speed for such a long time, silently wishing (not for the first time) that he was in the athletics team instead of in the volleyball one.

Ash knew that what he was doing could come at a high cost though. She could remember the time she had pushed way past her limits and found herself almost unable to walk for a week. If Hinata didn’t slow down he could end up getting hurt.

He dashed across the court once again, getting ready for a super-fast attack 

His feet seemed to glide over the floor, his legs blurring from the sheer speed and his body poised, ready to lounge at any moment. In a split-second, almost too fast to glimpse, he took off. There was something ethereal about seeing him suspended in mid-air, almost hovering, above everyone else. But it still was so raw, so real, so filled with strength and with passion that shone through his piercing chestnut eyes, his arms tense and aimed with inhuman precision, ready to strike-

And Seijoh blocked him.

The ball flew back to Karasuno’s side, making Nishinoya, Asahi and Daichi run towards it in a desperate attempt to keep it from hitting the ground.

They couldn’t reach it on time.

_Aoba Johsai 33 — Karasuno 31_

Ash felt her throat tighten slightly for a moment as the opposite team cheered, her own laying defeated on their side of the court.

Those of Karasuno that were on the sidelines approached their teammates with both comforting words and hands.

Ash got up, suppressing the need to console her team, and walked with Ukai, Takeda and Kiyoko to stand in front of the other team’s coaches. Her mouth was set on a hard line as she bowed to them, closing her eyes for a second as she faced the ground to keep her tears from coming.

_For fuck’s sake, get a grip Ash!_

She felt both proud and disappointed. Proud of how far the boys, her _team_ _,_ had come, and disappointed by how close to winning they had been.

All in all, she couldn’t cry.

She **_wouldn’t_ ** cry.

If she felt horrible, she could only but imagine how the team felt. And she was sure that seeing her cry wouldn’t help them in the slightest.

She returned to her normal standing position, sniffing and rubbing her nose. Ukai put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing softly and giving her a knowing look.

“We need to leave. The next team has to start warming up. You can cool down upstairs or outside.” he told the team after they gathered around him. 

As they walked towards the exit of the gym Ash threw a glance over her shoulder at Seijoh. They were all wearing tired but wide smiles as they congratulated one another. 

She wished it were her team instead wearing those tired smiles.

* * *

“So you’re Karasuno’s new manager.”

Ash was busy looking once more at the vending machine, this time even emptier than before. Her eyes wandered over the different options, looking for some snacks that could cheer the boys up from their defeat, when his voice reached her ears. 

She turned her head to her right, where he was standing, a small smirk gracing his annoyingly handsome face. Too nonchalant to seem real, but fake enough to seem intentional.

Oikawa Tooru. Aoba Johsai’s local so-called celebrity.

Why was his face so familiar?

She glanced up and down before turning her full attention back to the now almost familiar vending machine before answering. 

“No.”

Her response was dry and her tone a bit rude taking into account she was talking to someone older than her, but she didn’t really like him. He was too much of a narcissist even if he was a cute one. 

“Huh?” He seemed confused and maybe a bit surprised by the way she had answered him. “But I saw you sitting with their coach during the match.”

She selected some bags of wasabi and nori seaweed-flavoured chips, slowly counting her coins and inserting the money into the machine. 

“Doesn’t mean I’m their manager.” She repeated the action mechanically as she talked to him, gathering enough bags for the whole team. 

He laughed, and Ash could see from the corner of her eye that he was sheepishly scratching the back of his head. 

“My bad. Who are you then? I couldn’t help but recognize you before the match started after you almost knocked me over. It’s hard to miss a shirt like that.”

She subtly looked down at her shirt. Because of how late she had been in the morning she had literally grabbed the first thing she had found and a pair of jeans. 

She felt her cheeks heat up as she realized that the shirt was the upper part of an old alien-themed pajama set her cousin had gifted her. She’d always been vocal about her love for space and wanting to work for NASA when she grew up, but it wasn’t something she’d particularly like to broadcast to everyone at a rival school.

_Wait - did he say knocked him over? What did he mean by-_

That’s why his face was so familiar! He had been the person she had unintentionally crashed into during her mad dash to the gym. 

She decided to indulge his guilt-tripping techniques, looking at him and offering her hand for him to shake. 

“Sorry about that.” she apologized before introducing herself “I’m Rocha Ash, Karasuno’s assistant coach.” Oikawa seemed surprised by her statement but shook her hand as he gave her his name in return. His hand was bigger than hers and she liked the way hers fit in it, but she wasn’t about to let him know. “I know who you are.“

“Oh, you do?” He smiled at her, trying not to seem smug but failing. If he was expecting that to swoon her, he had another thing coming. 

“Of course I know who you are _Oikawa_.” She said his name in a mocking tone. “Your team just crushed mine’s spirits into fine powder and then snorted them. Also, I almost had to skip breakfast thanks to your group of fangirls before. Pretty creepy, if you ask me. It’s like a cult, gathering offerings. They must think you are some kind of deity.”

She crouched down and started shoving the snacks she had just purchased into her bag. She was probably being too harsh on him, but she was feeling like shit from not having any smokes yet and from her team’s defeat. That morning had been an utter emotional roller coaster and she felt drained.

He opened his mouth, about to say something, but she didn’t let him.

“Sorry, but I’m very busy. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be leaving. And I’m taking this with me.“

With a final press of a button, the last milk bread in the machine fell into the tray. She crouched and awkwardly picked it up without breaking eye contact, and shoved the small pastry into her pocket, feeling it get slightly smushed by the unopened cigarette box. The look on Oikawa’s face was indescribable, his jaw slightly open and the smirk on his face now completely gone.

She stood back up and picked up her pace, not even bothering to look back at the boy. Ash then started walking back to where she had left her bike.

“H-hey wait!” She heard him call out to her, but she didn’t stop walking. 

Couldn’t he see she wasn’t in the mood?

“I’m sorry if I offended you, I didn’t mean to. It was a good match. ” Oikawa said once he reached her, limping slightly, his knee probably overworked from the match. How was he supposed to play against the next team like that? She didn’t know what had happened to him, but if he didn’t get it fixed correctly, he would probably have to stop playing volleyball altogether. “I just noticed your shirt,” she looked down at the alien-patterned clothing, the creatures’ squinted eyes mockingly staring at her. Why, of all days, did she have to wear this shirt today? And what could Aoba Johsai’s captain have to do with it? “…and also ask you if you like space.”

That piqued her interest, making her slow down, allowing him to catch up to her. She was surprised, she had been mentally rehearsing how to shut down any pick-up line he might come up with. But a normal conversation starter? Small talk? Those things were not on her list.

“Space?”

“Yeah, space, constellations, galaxies, aliens... stuff like that. Since you’re wearing that shirt I thought that maybe…”

“Yeah, space is cool I guess.” Ash answered nonchalantly, hiding her excitement.

 _I guess?! I love space! Please,_ **_please_ ** _, don’t be a space geek too because it’ll be so much harder for me to be such an ass._

An image of her room back home flashed in her mind. Glow in the dark stars that she’d arranged to look like her favourite constellations covered the ceiling, the walls were plastered with images and posters of her favourite astronomers, planets, and stars, and a crappy solar system model she’d made back in the US and had stuck with her for years hung from the ceiling (and god forbid anyone ever saw her full NASA spacesuit pajamas with plushie helmet included she used to wear everywhere when she was nine).

_It’s not as if my dream job is working at NASA or anything._

“Cool!” he exclaimed and seemed to want to say something more, but was interrupted by someone calling out to him. It was Aoba Johsai’s ace, that angry-looking brunet. “Well, I have to get back inside for the next match, but if you ever want to talk about aliens-“ he reached into his bag, producing a notepad and a pen, then wrote something down quickly before ripping the sheet and giving it to her- “just text me.” He winked at her and she _really_ hoped she wasn’t blushing. “Bye, Ash.”

“H-hey!” she called out to him as he walked towards the rest of his team. “It’s Rocha for you.”

She was okay with people calling her by her name, since that was what everyone else did back in San Diego... but she hadn’t liked the flirtatious way in which he had said it. (Who was she kidding? She had liked it, but was too stubborn to admit his charm kinda worked on her.)

He looked back and stuck his tongue out at her cheekily, like a kid. She flipped him off.

Ash shoved the piece of paper in her pocket as she unlocked her bike and left, ignoring Oikawa’s whining, but smiling slightly when she heard someone from his team laugh at him. She might throw his number away as soon as she got home… or maybe not.

Once at the front door with the rest of Karasuno, Ash opened her bag and gave each boy the snacks she had purchased, telling them she hoped it would cheer them up. 

Their gloom mood slowly made way to a tired happiness, the players chatting amongst themselves and sharing their snacks. Ash sighed, the dull ache from the loss still present.

Ukai had booked a table at a restaurant for the whole team, and they were currently making their way there.

Hinata and Kageyama quietly argued in the front of the group, leading the rest of the team. Ash smiled as she looked at them, instinctively reaching into her pocket looking for the familiar comfort of a smoke after a long day. Her eyes drifted to her right and her hand froze, Takeda only a couple of steps away from her. If only the junior teacher wasn’t there...

Her fingers twitched, fidgeting with the small box and the small pastry she had bought out of spite. An image of the Aoba Johsai’s captain flashed through her mind and she took her hand out of her pocket, putting her other hand into its respective pocket. 

Her fingers brushed against a small piece of folded paper. She pulled it out. It had a number written on it as well as Oikawa’s name with a smiley alien face.

Ash decided to ignore the piece of paper, hastily shoving it into her bag. But apparently not hastily enough, since Tsukishima had been able to catch a glimpse of it.

“Seems like Ash got a bit too familiar with the enemy.” he announced loud enough for the whole team to hear, a shit eating grin on his face. _How good is this boy’s eyesight?? Why does he even wear glasses?_

Tsukishima would never admit it, but he was teasing her in hopes of cheering the team, her included, up. 

“What? Who is it??” Hinata’s voice reached her as he looked at her with interest in his unusually dull eyes, seemingly forgetting for a moment about their defeat. 

“I-It’s nothing.” Ash answered, feeling her face heat up as she sent a glare towards the boy who had decided to stick his nose into other people’s businesses. 

Said boy just smiled innocently at her for a moment, as if he had nothing to do with what was happening, before his grin turned once more into a mischievous one as he talked, while Yamaguchi tried to make him stop.

“I wouldn’t consider the captain of Aoba Johsai’s number as nothing.”

“Tsukki, stop!”

_I’m going to fucking murder him if he continues._

“If you wanted Oikawa’s phone number you could have just asked me Ash.” Kageyama told her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Tsukishima was teasing her. “I have it from when we went to junior high together.”

“I didn’t want his number! He just gave it to me!”

Small laughs scattered through the team, Tsukkishima’s attempt at cheering them up mildly working. She smiled through her blush, trying not to think about the brown-haired captain.

* * *

Ash stared down at the small piece of paper that had fallen out of her bag. She bit her lip softly, frowning slightly before reaching down to grab it from where it was resting on the floor of her room.

She looked at the series of numbers and the name scribbled on it. It was a nice calligraphy, slightly feminine perhaps.

Ash let out a sigh and grabbed her phone while muttering.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so…  
> It’s been more than a month since I last updated.  
> I’m SORRY.  
> Buuuuut he’s finally here!!! It only took the main love interest of this fic, the main reason why any of this is happening, five whole chapters to show up!!! Hooray!  
> (Don’t worry, he’s gonna get more screentime from now on)  
> P.S.: I have 14 full pages of notes for the match.


End file.
